Order of Damnation
by Gabz Jones
Summary: "People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people." This is a world of pain, of torment, but there's a group in the shadows, determined to put an end to this hell. These assassins will take back this city, but what are they supposed to do when one of their own falls for the detective in charge of taking them down?
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes** : Hey guys. Welcome to my Camp NaNo project! This is a story I've been wanting to write for a while, though it's a lot darker than most fanfiction I write. I hope you'll join me on this wild ride!

 **Warning** : There will be character death in this story, along with graphic violence.

* * *

There were a lot of reasons to move to the capitol. Some did it to seek their fortune. Others did it for a fresh start. A lot of people just thought the capitol was a glamorous place to be and wanted to be part of that life. For Phichit and Yuuri, it really didn't have anything to do with money or glitz. It had everything to do with opportunity. Well, Phichit was there for his friend, but he knew there would be opportunities for him, as well. After all, everyone loved animals. Everywhere he went, he met people who wanted new pets, wanted to add little furry friends to their families. That was Phichit's livelihood. Ever since he was a child, he had worked with his parents, learning how to take care of all different kinds of animals, figuring out what it was they needed, what made them happy, what they didn't like. Phichit had developed his skills with animals into a business all his own. Being a breeder wasn't easy, but it was always reward enough for him to see a creature he'd brought into the world find a family who will love them just as much as he did.

Phichit's main reason for traveling all the way to the capitol was not for his own sake, though. He knew that the only way he could get Yuuri to take a chance would be to take it with him. Besides, it was better to stick together. They had grown up with each other, and he really couldn't imagine them being separated by so much distance. It was more than that, though. For as long as Phichit had known Yuuri, he had been quiet, shy, lacking in the confidence he needed to do something like this. It was unfortunate, really. Yuuri Katsuki was so talented, he had so much to offer. It was just that he was afraid to speak up, and he didn't believe in his abilities.

While Phichit's life revolved around animals, Yuuri had spent his life dancing. When Yuuri wasn't helping with his parent's business, he was practicing, honing his skills. Everyone told him he was an incredible dancer, but Yuuri insisted that he still had so much to learn. There was only so much learning he could do, though. His parents had been pushing him, telling him that he needed to go out into the world and share his talents. There wasn't much call for dancers back in their hometown, though. That was when Phichit had come up with the idea of heading to the capitol. There were supposed to be opportunities for anyone there, so it just made sense to take Yuuri there. Someone would see how talented he was. Yuuri would end up entertaining even the most influential people with his talents. Phichit was sure Yuuri just needed the push to do it.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yuuri asked as he pulled his bag over his back.

"Yuuri, everyone's going to love you. Trust me." He watched as the small poodle ran around Yuuri's legs. It was amazing how well the pair of them went together. Vicchan could rush around Yuuri's feet as he walked all he liked, he never tripped the man up. Phichit wasn't sure if it was because they knew each other so well, or it had something to do with how graceful Yuuri could be.

Walking into the capitol felt like walking into a different world. Phichit had never left home before. Their small town never really had any tourists. It was simply a quiet place filled with people who were living out their days in peace. Truly, it was in stark contrast compared to the place they'd found themselves in. The streets were filled with people, buildings so tall it was like they were reaching for the sky. Back home felt like farm land compared to this place, it was like nothing Phichit had ever seen before. Of course, he'd heard stories of the capitol, but none of them could do it justice.

"Whoa…" Phichit looked around the streets in awe, pulling his phone out, "Yuuri, let's get a picture!"

"Shouldn't we find somewhere to stop first?" Yuuri looked around them at all the people, clearly not used to such a bustling town.

"We need to record our first moments! Come on, please?"

"Alright, alright." He watched as Yuuri pulled Vicchan into his arms, smiling as Phichit held out his camera to take a photo of the three of them.

Once he'd taken the photo, he smiled brightly as he showed it to Yuuri, "Perfect."

Yuuri placed the small poodle back on the ground, watching has he raced excitedly around his legs, "Can we find somewhere to rest now? We've been traveling for so long."

Phichit knew it would be better if they just found somewhere to stay. Yuuri got grumpy when he was tired, and they had travelled a few days to get to the capitol. It really wasn't all that surprising that Yuuri just wanted to find somewhere to sleep. It was a mystery to them both; how Vicchan could be so full of energy. Even Phichit's hamsters had given up, finding sanctuary in their cage. They had fallen asleep together, one big pile of fluffiness.

Keeping his phone out, Phichit did a quick search for hotels in the capitol. There were plenty of options. It really wasn't all that surprising, people were always traveling there. They had to filter out the more extravagant living arrangements. After all, they weren't exactly rolling in money. He looked up at Yuuri, seeing the expectant look on his friend's face and offering him a reassuring smile, "There are three places here that we can afford. One of them is bound to have a free room for us."

Yuuri hummed softly, offering Phichit a smile of his own, "I'll just be happy once I can take a hot bath and sleep."

"Don't worry, you'll get to relax soon. And once we find a nice, steady income, we'll be able to afford to stay somewhere even better."

Yuuri frowned as he started walking down the street beside Phichit, "I don't need anything fancy. There's no point wasting money on things we don't need."

"It's all part of the experience, Yuuri. Live a little!" So maybe Phichit was the more enthusiastic of the two of them when it came to moving to the capitol. Yuuri had been sceptical, saying that he didn't need to travel so far to dance, but Phichit knew Yuuri would come to embrace it. Maybe he was shy sometimes, or lacked confidence, but when he was dancing, it was like all those feelings were gone. Phichit had never seen his friend happier, and he was determined to see Yuuri make the most of his skills.

He didn't miss the small smile from his best friend as they walked in step, "How about a compromise? We don't waste money on fancy living space, but we can buy all the fancy food you like. Sound fair?"

"You just can't resist the idea of good food." Phichit chuckled, "As long as that includes fancy food for the animals, too, I'm down."

Phichit was quickly learning that things didn't go to plan. Back home, if they needed something, they could simply ask for it, and pay their way. In the capitol, it didn't seem to be that simple. When they were turned away from the first hotel, Phichit wasn't too concerned. There were still two others they could try. The first had been full, and really, he shouldn't have been surprised. It was after the second hotel had also turned them away that he started to get a little worried. It was then that he realised he probably should've called ahead, tried to reserve them a room long before they arrived. Phichit had simply never needed to do that before. He had no idea it would be necessary. He had to keep his hopes up, though. After all, he didn't want Yuuri to second guess the decision to go there. At least not more than he probably already was.

As they walked into the lobby of the last hotel, Phichit smiled brightly, wrapping an arm around his best friend's shoulders, his other holding tightly to his bags as he wheeled them inside, "Don't worry. I guarantee they'll have a room here. How could they not?"

He wasn't sure he really believed that after being denied twice, but surely if the last two places were booked up, this one wouldn't be. It didn't make sense for everywhere to be full of people. Sure, the capitol was a bustling city, but it didn't have _that_ many people! Making his way to the front desk, Phichit offered the woman standing in front of them his brightest smile, internally hoping that if he was nice enough, it would magically make a room available for them.

"Oh, good afternoon, sir. Can I help you?" She smiled, her voice soft and reassuring.

"Absolutely. We're looking for a room for two."

The woman went quiet as she started typing into the computer in front of her, and the anticipation was only rising with every passing second. Things would be fine, that's what Phichit kept telling himself. He felt that hope slowly slip away as he caught sight of the frown on the woman's face, "I'm sorry, we don't seem to have any rooms available."

"Are you sure? We're willing to pay a little extra if we have to." He didn't want to have to beg, but this was their last option. He rested his palms on the desk, leaning over it and giving the woman his best attempt at puppy-dog eyes, "We've travelled several days to get here, we just need somewhere to rest."

She seemed a little uneasy under Phichit's gaze, looking back at the computer for a moment, "If I could get you a room, I would, sir. We're simply booked up."

"What about rooms for one?" Yuuri chimed in, taking them both off guard, "I'll sleep on a couch if I have to."

She typed into the computer once more before offering them a sad smile, shaking her head, "I'm sorry. May I make a suggestion?"

Phichit raised an eyebrow, "Go on…?"

"You came to the capitol at a particularly busy time of year. If I were you'd I'd head home and try again in a few months."

Phichit whined, turning back to Yuuri, "We can't go all the way back now. We've come so far."

There was nothing that could be done. No matter how much money Phichit offered, no matter how much he begged, a room wasn't going to magically become available. They were out of options. Of all the ways for their new adventure to begin, this wasn't what he'd had in mind. It certainly wasn't a good impression for his sceptical best friend, either. Phichit had hoped that when they got there, Yuuri would fall in love with the city and wouldn't think twice about the decision. Being stranded with no where to stay made things a little more difficult.

Stepping back outside, Yuuri sighed defeatedly as he dropped his bag to the ground, sitting beside it on the concrete floor and wrapping his arms around Vicchan as he settled in his lap, "Of all the ways for our first day here to go, sleeping on the street was not how I pictured it."

Phichit moved to sit beside him, resting his head against the wall of the hotel they'd just left, "I'm sorry, Yuuri. But I swear to you, we'll figure it out. This is a good thing."

"It's good that we're stranded in a new city with nowhere to live?" Yuuri asked pointedly, sending Phichit a withering look. The dog in his lap on the other hand, was staring up at Phichit lovingly, panting happily as his owner's hand brushed gently through his fur.

"Not that part." Phichit conceded, running a hand through his hair, "Being here will be good for us. It was great back home, but this will be something special. Trust me."

"I'll trust you once we have a roof over our heads." Yuuri quipped, though he was smiling and Phichit knew his best friend wasn't really upset with him.

"On the bright side," He began, lifting the cage his three darling hamsters were in and opening the door. He smiled as the three of them rushed out of the cage and curled up on his shoulders, "At least we're getting some fresh air."

"We walked for an hour after the ride to get here." Yuuri pointed out.

Phichit pouted, brushing a finger over one of his hamster's heads, "Don't' be a buzzkill. I know you're excited, too."

"Maybe just a little. But I'll be more excited to find a bed to sleep in."

Phichit watched as his best friend closed his eyes and tried his best to relax. It had been a long day. Hell, it had been a long few days. Travelling all this way had taken its toll on them and finding somewhere nice to sleep was definitely at the top of their list of needs.

"Excuse me…?" Phichit looked up to see a young girl, no older than fifteen standing in front of him. Her long ginger hair billowing in the breeze. She was bending over, looking closely at the creatures nestling themselves on Phichit's shoulders, wonder and maybe even excitement clear in her eyes, "Are those hamsters?"

Phichit always enjoyed when people were excited to meet his hamsters, his pride and joy. He positively beamed, "They sure are! Are you a fellow animal lover?"

She giggled excitedly, nodding her head with enthusiasm, "I always wanted a hamster." She conceded.

These were the kinds of conversations that Phichit lived for. He loved to be able to make a little girl's day with something as simple as an animal. After all, they were so much more than just creatures, they were family. He took one of the hamsters from his shoulder, holding it in his palms and extending his hand to the girl, "You can pet him, he won't bite."

Yuuri watched on curiously as Phichit interacted with the girl, his fingers occasionally brushing through the fur of the poodle quickly falling asleep in his lap. Everywhere Phichit went, he was surrounded by animals. Even Vicchan had come from his family. Seeing Phichit so happily sharing the things he loved with others was one of the things that inspired Yuuri to never give up on his own dreams.

Another moment passed before there was a man rushing to the little girl who was carefully petting the hamster in Phichit's hand, "There you are! I'm so sorry sirs, I hope she didn't cause you any trouble."

"Not at all." Phichit offered the man a bright smile, "Is she your daughter?"

The man nodded his head, looking between the two men sitting on the pavement with their bags. It probably was quite the sight; two men sitting on the ground outside a hotel with a bunch of luggage. The capitol was meant to be a place of opportunities, but so far Phichit hadn't seen too many of those. Still, he knew he could make the most of a situation like this one. There was no point in focusing on their problems. Not when he could at least make a little extra cash from this girl's love of animals.

Phichit watched as the hamster that was sitting on his hand rushed back to his shoulder to be with the others, "You know, if you're looking for a pet hamster, I'm your man. I don't have any for sale right now, but if you give me a little time, I could get you some healthy, happy babies to join your family."

The girl's face lit up and she practically bounced on the spot, turning to her father, "Oh, please! Please, dad! I promise I'll take good care of it!"

The man sighed defeatedly, "What would you ask in return for your services?"

Phichit could've asked for money. After all, there was always need for money, but in that moment, money wasn't their biggest problem. Looking over at his friend, he knew what he needed to ask for, "If you can give us a place to sleep for the night, that would be payment enough."

"Wait, Phichit. Are you sure about this?" Yuuri spoke up, seeming uncertain of the situation they'd found themselves in.

"Do you really want to sleep on the street tonight?"

Yuuri pouted, looking down at the dog in his lap, "Alright, alright."

The man seemed to think about the offer for a moment before reaching a hand out to Phichit, "You have yourself a deal. We have a couple of guest rooms you can feel free to use. Stay as long as you need, just as long as you can provide my daughter with what she requires."

Phichit grinned, taking the man's hand and shaking it, "Awesome. You won't regret it. We'll be out of your hair before you know it." It would be simple. They would stay with this man and his family until a room becomes available at one of the hotels. He'd keep tabs on it, make reservations, they wouldn't be stranded like this again. It had been a bad start to their time in the capitol, but Phichit was determined to turn it around. If not for his sake, then for Yuuri's.

Getting to his feet, he smiled reassuringly at his friend, "Come on, Yuuri. A nice warm bed awaits."

That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed, practically scrambling to his feet. They had travelled so long, he doubted there was much they wouldn't do for a bed to sleep in. The man and his daughter had come at their time of need, and Phichit was starting to understand what people said about the capitol. A place filled with opportunities. This was clearly the first of many that they would be granted. Yuuri still seemed a little uncertain, but Phichit knew that was just how Yuuri was; shy around strangers. He'd loosen up once he got a little rest.

One thing Phichit was learning during their first day in the capitol was that they were quite possibly the unluckiest people on the planet. Just as they were gathering their things, intent on following the man to his car, his enthusiastic daughter in tow, Vicchan started yapping excitedly, rushing off into a nearby crowd. Phichit had seen Yuuri panic plenty of times, but he had never looked quite that worried before.

"Vicchan, wait!" He dropped his things, moving to rush after his beloved dog, but was stopped as a hand gripped his arm.

Looking back, he saw the man holding him in place, offering an apologetic, but reassuring smile, "You won't be able to find him in these crowds. Especially is you're new to these parts. I'll send someone to look for him for you."

Yuuri looked horrified at the prospect of leaving his fur baby lost in this new place, all on his own. Phichit knew how much Vicchan meant to his best friend and would've rushed to search for the dog in question, too, but he knew the man was right. They didn't know the capitol, and there were a lot of people around. They were better off letting someone who knew this place search for the poodle. Besides, Vicchan wasn't dumb. He was one of the smartest dogs Phichit had ever known.

"Please send someone right away. I know my friend here won't be able to relax until Vicchan is found." Phichit rested a hand on Yuuri's shoulder, speaking softly, "He'll be okay, Yuuri. He's probably finding himself some food right now."

Yuuri seemed so unsure, looking back at the crowd his beloved dog had rushed into, then back at Phichit. They trusted each other, of course they did, but he could see how badly his best friend wanted to rush into the crowds of people and find Vicchan. It was obvious. Phichit knew the consequences, though. If they rushed into the crowd, they'd get lost, too. It was doubtful that they'd find Vicchan in a place like this, and then they would lose this; their one opportunity to have a roof over their heads for the night.

OoOoO

It had been difficult to drag Yuuri away from the street. The only thing that had gotten him to move was visibly seeing their new landlord send someone to search for the poodle. It wasn't like Vicchan to run away. They were both at a loss for exactly why he had done it. After all, Yuuri had never even needed to put a leash on him. The poodle always stayed at his side, and yet here they were, separated in a city they'd never experienced before. It was daunting. Phichit just had to have the optimism for the pair of them. They'd find Vicchan. He was so sure of it.

When they arrived at the house, it suddenly made sense; how he could send someone to search for Vicchan. It wasn't so much a house as it was a mansion. The place was huge, with beautiful gardens and acres upon acres of land. It was still in the capitol, but towards the outskirts of the city; a quiet sanctuary in the landed of dreams. Phichit looked around the pristine halls as they made their way inside, feeling completely out of place. Everything seemed to shine and sparkle in this marble paradise. When Phichit had made the deal with the man, he wasn't expecting to be sleeping in a place so luxurious, but he certainly wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Yuuri had been intend on resting, though it was clear he was too worried to sleep now. Instead, their host had insisted that they have something to eat. After all, they had travelled all the way to the capitol, they must've been hungry. Phichit really couldn't argue with that. He hadn't eaten anything since that morning, and they'd been walking so much, food would do them some good. Besides, after seeing how amazing the house was, he couldn't begin to imagine what delicacies they had in store.

As it turned out, they had quite a lot to offer. The table was filled with all kinds of food. He wasn't sure if it was because they simply had the money to waste on so much food, or they weren't sure what he and Yuuri liked. Maybe it was a mixture of the two. Phichit nudged Yuuri excitedly as they took a seat at the table, taking their food and settling into a night of luxury. They talked about the capitol, about places Phichit could go to find a steady income, about the people who might be interested in Yuuri's dancing. There were a lot of things they would have to get used to. That much was clear, but after a day of bad luck, this felt like a dream. The capitol really did seem to be the land of opportunities. Maybe it just was a little more difficult to get those opportunities than he'd first expected.

Phichit was startled from his thoughts when he felt a weight on his shoulder, looking over to see Yuuri's head resting against him, fast asleep. He knew Yuuri was tired, but he didn't normally fall asleep at the dinner table. Then again, he was feeling the effects of the day, himself. In fact, the exhaustion seemed to be hitting him like a truck suddenly. He carefully shifted Yuuri so that he could get to his feet. It would be no good to fall asleep at the dinner table. These people had been so accommodating, he just wanted to cause as little trouble as he could. He'd have to drag Yuuri to their guest rooms to sleep, but it wasn't so bad. For a place as big as it was, the guest rooms were close by.

As Phichit wrapped an arm around Yuuri, holding him upright, he heard his friend mumble tiredly. He managed to take three steps before the exhaustion got to him, stumbling and leaning against a nearby wall. It didn't make much sense. He was tired, sure, but not this tired. Something was wrong. That much was obvious, and that hope that had filled his heart as the evening went on was quickly dissolving into dread. Before Phichit could question what was going on, though, he was using his weight against the wall to slide to the floor, his best friend asleep in his arms.

And just like that, his world faded into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Phichit…"_

Everything felt groggy. His eyes were heavy, so heavy he wasn't sure he wanted to try to open them. Not when it felt this difficult. Where was he? What happened? Phichit tried to run through the last few hours in his head, but it felt so fuzzy. The last thing he remembered was the meal in that fancy house, how kind the man had been to offer them a place to stay. Everything was going so well.

"Phichit, wake up!" He felt his arm being tugged, the voice filled with desperation.

Then it all started to click in his head. That food. There had to have been something in that food. Yuuri had fallen asleep so suddenly, and the moment he had gotten to his feet, he felt the same exhaustion hit himself. But why? Why would anyone put something in their food? There was no reason for it, not that Phichit could think of. Reluctantly, he blinked a few times, slowly opening his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Yuuri hovering over him, fear clear on his face. Seeing his friend like that, so genuinely scared, Phichit felt the need to protect. He had to snap out of it, get to his feet, and fix this, whatever it was. Sitting up, he felt his vision sway, groaning as he pressed a hand to his head as if that would be enough to solve the problem. Yuuri's hands were resting on his shoulders, kneeling in front of him and looking into Phichit's eyes, "Slow down. The dizziness goes away after a little while."

Phichit rubbed his eyes, looking around them. Wherever they were, it was dark. It seemed like the walls were made of some kind of metal. It looked rusty, dented in places. It seemed they were at the end of some kind of hallway, but he couldn't see far enough to know where it led. It felt damp, the floor cold, and he wondered exactly how long they'd been there. The smell was unusual, too. Some strange metallic scent...iron? Mixed with something else, something he wasn't sure he'd ever smelt before, but whatever it was, it gave him an uneasy feeling. Looking back at his friend, Phichit rested a hand on Yuuri's arm, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I don't know. I woke up a little while ago. I didn't want to search for a way out without you, so I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't budge."

They didn't have much to go on. They weren't sure how they'd gotten there, or even where _there_ was. Phichit only knew that this had something to do with that family. This was his fault. If he hadn't made that offer, none of this would've happened. Sure, they'd be sleeping on the street, but anything was better than this. He wouldn't let anything happen to Yuuri. Especially not when he knew this was his own fault. They had to get out of here. There had to be a way out. Phichit slowly got to his feet, still feeling a little wobbly from whatever had put them to sleep, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been when he had first awoken.

"Okay. Let's find a way out."

"You sure you're okay?" Yuuri frowned, watching him carefully.

"As okay as I can be. We can't stay here. I got you in this mess, I'm getting you out."

"Phichit, you didn't-"

"Yuuri. Let's just go." He didn't want to argue about it. Phichit knew this was his own fault, that he shouldn't have trusted a stranger. Back home, everyone knew everyone. There was trust everywhere. He was so used to things being that way, he hadn't thought about how different things would be in the capitol, especially when there were so many more people there. This was the land of opportunity, though. Bad things weren't supposed to happen here.

They walked slowly in the darkness. Partly because Phichit was still getting over the nausea, but mostly because of the fear the situation had instilled in them. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. They were meant to be making new lives for themselves. Instead, they were walking through this empty, gloomy place, unsure of where exactly they were heading. It was when they reached a crossroads that Yuuri groaned in frustration.

"Great. So, this is a maze."

"It's fine." Phichit moved behind Yuuri, gently pushing him towards the leftmost hallway.

"Why this way?"

"It's that rule we learned when we were kids about mazes." Phichit shrugged, "Keep following the left wall and eventually you'll find your way out."

Yuuri paused in thought, "Wouldn't that work for the right wall, too?"

"Sure, but I like left better. Come on."

Phichit was doing his best to keep his spirits up. Obviously, this was a bad situation, but he couldn't afford for Yuuri to panic. No matter how scared he was, he knew he had to keep control. After all, when Yuuri panicked, it got a whole lot more difficult to get him to keep moving, and that was the opposite of what they needed. Still, as they moved around in the darkness, Phichit's mind was racing, trying to come up with reasons for why this had happened. If they had been drugged and taken here, why? What was the point?

Taking the left turn just took them down another long hallway, and Phichit was beginning to wonder just how big this place was. The man had a lot of money, but enough for all of this? He kept looking around them, trying to take in their surroundings. Maybe there would be some clue somewhere that could tell them how to get out. Maybe it was a puzzle. That would make sense, right? After all, it was a maze. Mazes were like carnival games, and carnival games were all about solving puzzles. They just had to find the clues they needed to figure out the way to the exit.

"Phichit, look."

He was pulled from his thoughts, looking up at the side of the ceiling Yuuri was pointing to. His blood ran cold as the fear began to bubble up inside him. Carefully placed on the ceiling was a security camera. "So… they're watching us?"

The thought of it made his stomach churn. Why were they doing this? What was going to happen to them? What else was planned? The questions just kept growing in his mind. It didn't make any sense. These kinds of things didn't happen. Phichit looked over his shoulder at Yuuri. His friend had his arms wrapped around himself, clearly trying to keep himself composed. The sight alone was enough to bring sheer anger boiling to the surface for Phichit. This was his best friend. No one made his best friend feel this way.

Without thinking, Phichit turned back to the camera, "Let us out of here, asshole!" His voice echoed through the hallways of their prison.

"Phichit…" Yuuri tried but was quickly cut off.

"No, this is stupid! Who does he think he is, some comic book villain!? People don't do this kinda thing!" He watched the camera, and the camera stayed facing him. Though Phichit couldn't see anyone, it felt like he was being stared down, and he had no intention of backing off until someone came and put a stop to this insanity.

Another silence fell between them as Phichit glared at the camera, telling himself that maybe, just maybe he'd be able to get some answers. The silence was short lived, though, as the air filled with the shinking sound of metal moving rapidly against noise was quickly drowned out, though, instead replaced with an agonized scream behind him. He quickly turned to see what had caused the distress and his blood ran cold. There, his best friend stood, his breath heavy as he stared down at the floor. The ground behind them was replaced by an array of spikes. They'd just barely managed to remain ahead of them, but Yuuri hadn't been so lucky. His left foot was skewered by one of the spikes on the final row, slicing right through the appendage and dripping with blood.

This was real. Very real. Seeing his friend like that, seeing the pain in his body language, the blood, the fear began to escalate. This wasn't some sick joke, it was so much worse than that. They had to get out of there. They had to find a way out before things got even worse. Phichit carefully stepped closer to Yuuri, resting his hands on his shoulders and looking into his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the tears threatening to escape those hazel eyes. Whether it was from fear or pain, he couldn't be sure. Maybe it was both. He had to stay calm. He had to get Yuuri out of this hell.

"Yuuri… you're going to be okay." Phichit did his best to reassure him, making sure he kept eye contact.

"Does this _look_ okay!?"

"Sh. Calm down." He looked down at Yuuri's foot, seeing the spike that had pierced right through. Kneeling beside him, he rested a hand on Yuuri's calf, "On the count of three, you're going to lift your foot as quickly as you can."

"Are you insane!?" Yuuri stared down at him, the fear clear in his eyes.

"I'm not leaving you here, Yuuri! We have to get you off this thing and get out of this place." Looking up at his best friend, Phichit tried his best to smile, though he was sure it didn't meet his eyes. Phichit just wanted to go home. He'd never missed home so much, and he couldn't fight that voice in the back of his mind telling him he should never have taken Yuuri to this place.

Yuuri nodded hesitantly, wiping at his eyes, "Okay, okay. Just… be careful."

Phichit looked down at Yuuri's foot, seeing the blood pooling at the wound. He'd have to do something about it. He didn't know how bad it was, but the more blood Yuuri lost, the worse off he'd be. Taking a shaky breath, he carefully moved his free hand to hold Yuuri's calf, "Ready? One… two… three!"

On Phichit's mark, Yuuri stepped off the spike with Phichit's help to speed up the process. The air was once more filled with the sounds of Yuuri's cries of pain and before he knew it, Yuuri was sitting on the floor beside Phichit. He couldn't waste any time, though. There was no telling how much blood Yuuri could be losing. Phichit moved to tug off Yuuri's shoe and sock, earning whimpers from his best friend, but he couldn't afford to listen to it. He needed to take care of him. The would didn't seem to be as big as he had looked on the spike, though the spike itself had gone straight through the foot. The spikes were thinner than they looked, much to Phichit's relief.

Tugging off his jacket, Phichit earned a questioning eyebrow from his best friend, "What are you doing?"

Phichit tugged at the jacket until he could tear away some of the fabric, carefully wrapping it around Yuuri's foot, "They do this on TV. Helps stop the bleeding." He tied the fabric as tightly as he could, receiving a pained hiss in response, "Think you can keep walking?"

"I don't have much of a choice." Yuuri sighed softly, looking down at the wounded foot.

"Here." Phichit stood up, offering Yuuri his hand, "You can lean on me."

Normally, his best friend was graceful on his feet, but it wasn't the case now. Instead, he was trying his best not to put any weight on his left foot, leaning into Phichit the moment he had gotten upright.

"How does it feel?" Phichit asked curiously. He'd never had a wound that bad before. He couldn't really imagine how much pain Yuuri must've been in.

"Like I got stabbed in the foot." Yuuri quipped as they started moving down the hallway once more.

"Alright, geez."

Their movements were much slower than they had been before. Through the nausea from whatever had been used to drug them was gone, Phichit had to keep his slow pace for Yuuri's sake. It would take time for them to get out, he was running through the options in his mind. What if something happened and they had to move faster? He wasn't sure how heavy Yuuri was, but he'd carry him if he had to. After all the insanity that they'd been through, there was no way he was letting anything else happen to him.

He couldn't be too sure of just how long they'd been walking. The place seemed to go on forever. There were plenty of twists and turns in this maze, but they didn't seem to be any closer to finding a way out. Phichit wasn't sure if they were making any progress, or just getting more lost. When they ended up at yet another dead end, he groaned in frustration, "We're going around in circles, aren't we?"

"No, the wall trick works, it just takes time." Yuuri tried to reassure him, poking Phichit's cheek with his finger, "I know you're impatient, but it's our only shot."

"How can you be so positive?"

"You're always positive for me. Now it's my turn." Yuuri pointed out.

Phichit sighed, "I'm sorry I got you into this mess."

"Is that what you're so worried about? This isn't your fault, Phichit. No one could've expected something like this to happen."

"I'll get you out of here." Phichit assured him, though he wasn't sure if it was more for Yuuri's sake or his own. It was a goal. It was something he could focus on.

The quiet of the maze was soon interrupted once more. This time, Phichit couldn't quite place the sound. Not at first. It sounded like something whipping through the air, something moving quickly, but there was nothing around them. After all, they were in a dead end. There was nowhere for anything to appear from. Turning back the way they came, he finally saw it; a blade hurting through the air in their direction, getting closer and closer with each passing second. Phichit moved to get out of the way of the knife, a mix of fear and adrenaline fueling his movements. Searing pain. That's what he first felt. Like fire being driven into his skin. He thought he'd moved out of the way in time, but the knife had clipped his shoulder, slicing through his flesh and leaving a deep cut in its wake. It took no time for the blood to pool at the wound, slowly dripping down Phichit's arm. He didn't scream, didn't make much of a sound at all, shock stopping any sounds from escaping. He knew he was lucky. If he hadn't moved, it would've killed him, sliced right through his neck. But how could he feel anything close to lucky when they were trapped in this place?

"P-Phichit?" Yuuri's voice broke through his trance.

Phichit reached his hand out to his arm, pressing it against the blood-soaked fabric, "I'm fine. We have to keep moving before anything else happens."

The pain from the cut was bad at first, but eventually ebbed to a dull throb, a small but constant reminder of where he was, what was happening. Phichit could feel Yuuri's eyes on him, watching his every move. With his own wound in place, it wasn't easy to keep Yuuri upright. Instead, his friend had taken to using the wall to walk, and Phichit was silently grateful for the break. If he had to pick up Yuuri to make a run for it now, he knew that wasn't going to be easy. It didn't matter, though. It couldn't matter. This was about survival. Short term pain couldn't matter if it meant keeping them alive.

The darkness remained as they moved further and further into the maze. Phichit didn't know what time it was, didn't know how long they'd been in there. He just knew that he was tired, so tired. It would be okay to stop for a break soon, right? It had to be. They had to have been making progress. But there was fear in the back of Phichit's mind. Something could happen if they stopped. Anything could happen. He had never felt so paranoid in his life, but this wasn't just about him. There were so many risks that came with this place. If they kept moving, they could be heading straight for danger. If they stopped, anything could happen to them. This place was hell, this place was worse than a nightmare, and Phichit just wished he could wake up on the street and find out this wasn't real. That gentle thrumming of pain in his shoulder told him that this was all too real, though. He couldn't deny it no matter how badly he wanted to.

"Phichit!" Yuuri called, concern in his voice.

He quickly looked over at his friend to see Yuuri had leaned on the wall and pushed in a section without much effort. The sound of something moving through the air rang through the maze once more and Phichit found himself moving instinctively towards him, "Yuuri, get down!"

It wasn't a knife this time. No, instead it was what looked like rocks, ground into a smooth ball shape the size of golf balls. There was maybe half a dozen of them, Phichit couldn't be sure. He was trying to move out of their way as quickly as he could. He managed to get to the ground before any hit him, but Yuuri wasn't so lucky. He didn't have time to process what was going on before he heard the sickening sound of one of them connecting with Yuuri. The Japanese man hissed in pain, and suddenly he heard the sound of the remaining rocks hitting concrete and metal further down the corridor. Looking up, he saw Yuuri holding his head and felt his stomach in knots. A head wound could be bad. Really bad. It took a moment to crawl to his feet again, standing in front of Yuuri, "Let me see."

Reluctantly, the hand pressed to his forehead was removed, showing a small trickle of blood. It was hard to know just how bad the injury really was. Phichit was no doctor. He frowned, holding up three fingers, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"I got hit in the head, I'm not blind." Yuuri groaned, pressing his hand back to the sensitive spot. Phichit could only imagine how much that hurt. He could easily get a concussion. With the battle scars quickly mounting up, the need to escape was becoming more and more insistent.

"You sure you're okay?"

"No." Yuuri admitted, bringing his hand down to look at the small amount of blood it had soaked from his head, "Feel kinda dizzy. We can keep moving, though. We've gotta be close by now."

"We can take a break." Phichit offered, though he was really unsure about it. He didn't want to stop, not when Yuuri was like this. He didn't know how bad that rock had hurt him. He was alright now, but time would tell how long that could last.

"No, I thought I saw something down there before those rocks appeared." Yuuri pointed further down the hallway. Sure enough, there was a section of the wall that seemed to have a light glowing from a crack beneath it. It was the first time they'd seen anything like that, the first time Phichit had truly allowed himself to feel hopeful.

He paused in thought, weighing the options. If that was the way out, Yuuri could get help, but if it wasn't, then he would only be forcing Yuuri further through this hell. Stopping wasn't necessarily a good idea, either. He sighed softly, wrapping his good arm around Yuuri's shoulders, "Come on, we might be able to get you some help."

"I'm not the only one who needs help." Yuuri pointed out as he began the slow walk to the illuminated wall.

The anticipation was killing him. This was their one chance. The one glimpse of hope they'd had since they woke up in this place. Phichit was already trying to figure out their next move once they were free. He didn't know where hospitals were in the capitol. He didn't even know where they were. Maybe if they knocked on some doors, someone would see their sorry state and take pity. Was that such a good idea, though? After what had happened the last time they'd trusted someone from this place, Phichit was starting to feel a little uncertain.

Standing in front of the wall, Phichit felt his heart sink. It was well and truly sealed. The only difference was that there was a hole in the wall at shoulder height. Phichit peered into the hole but couldn't see anything but darkness within. It was big enough for him to fit his arm in, though. Surely it was something. After all, everything else in that maze had felt so thoroughly planned out, nothing seemed to be out of place.

Taking a deep breath, Phichit turned to Yuuri, "I'm gonna see if there's something in there that'll open this wall up for us."

"Wait! That seems like a trap."

Phichit knew it was a trap. It was so obviously a trap, but it was also the only thing they had seen that could lead to an escape. He didn't care if it was a trap, he just wanted them to get out of that place. If it meant one more injury added to the list, he'd accept it, "Just get ready to run through in case it does open, okay?"

Phichit had done a lot of scary things in his life. He still remembered how scared he was as a child when he climbed the largest tree in town and realised he'd have to get down. He remembered how scared he was when he'd tried to surprise Yuuri's dance instructor and she hadn't taken so kindly to the practical joke. But nothing compared to the fear he felt as he stared at that gap in the wall, wondering what fate would befall him. He knew that at worst, he could lose his arm. Was that worth it? He was so used to having two arms, he couldn't only imagine how difficult it would be to adjust to having one. But Yuuri was hurt. Yuuri needed help. It was better to do this than to be stuck in that prison for the rest of their lives. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Phichit moved closer to the wall and slowly slid his arm into the gap. He didn't feel anything at first, just the slight scratch of the wall against his skin. The fear grew more and more as he slid his arm in deeper, hoping desperately that he would actually find something and that this wouldn't be a cruel joke.

"Are you okay?" Yuuri asked, clearly just as worried as Phichit was.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Phichit's body was flush against the wall, his arm as deep in the gap as he could get it and he felt around desperately, reaching for whatever hope he could get a hold of. And then he felt it, "There's something. Hang on."

It took Phichit a moment to get his fingers around the object, but he remained careful, trying to figure out what exactly it was before he took it. It felt like plastic, maybe. Something cold but smooth. Feeling around more, he could make out a strong thread of some kind attached to the object. Like the cord you pull back to start a motor. Maybe if he pulled on it, the wall would open. It was his only option. No matter the fear, he had to do it. Taking another breath to steady himself, Phichit closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and pulling on the object.

The object didn't move very far, but he did feel something give. What it was, he couldn't be sure. His mind was quickly preoccupied by the feeling of crushing weight on his arm. It was sudden, like something had been dropped onto him, something heavy, cold, rusty. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel the bones in his arm giving out under the incredible force. Phichit couldn't hold back his scream of pain, his grip on the object only tightening as he tried helplessly to fight the pain.

"Phichit!? Whatever you're doing, just stop!" Yuuri went to tug Phichit away from the wall but was stopped as Phichit moved his other arm to stop him.

"Don't!" It'd only hurt more. If Yuuri tried to pull him out, he'd tear his arm off, Phichit was sure of it. His mind was caught in a loop of searing pain and the desperate need to get out. And then the wall opened. Phichit bit his lip, trying to stop thinking about the blinding pain shooting up his arm, "Go. Yuuri, go!"

"But-"

"Just go!"

Phichit could see how uncertain Yuuri's movements were, but he did as he said, walking through the gap that was now presented to them. Once Yuuri was on the other side, Phichit let go of the object and the crushing weight against his arm lifted, a new wave of pain rocking through him. Carefully, Phichit pulled his arm out of the gap in the wall, every movement sending jolts of pain from his shoulder down to his fingertips. He couldn't begin to imagine how many bones he's broken in his arm, but he could hope that it was worth it, that Yuuri was safe.

There was a moment of silence as Phichit realised that he was left there all alone. This cold, damp dungeon was all he had. At any moment, something else could come out and finish him off, and that was if his injuries didn't do it before anything else had a chance. The only thing he could focus on that could make it okay was the fact that Yuuri had gotten through. Maybe Yuuri would be outside. Maybe Yuuri could find help. As his mind ran through the options Yuuri had, the wall behind him opened again. He turned around, frowning as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Get your ass in here already!"

The sound of Yuuri's demanding voice was all he needed, quickly stepping through the gap in the wall. On the other side, he saw Yuuri pressed against a corner, standing on some kind of button in the floor. But that wasn't all he saw. There was blood dripping down Yuuri's leg. "Y-Yuuri…"

Hearing Phichit beside him, Yuuri lifted his weight off the button and the sound of blades against skin filled the room along with a grunt of pain. Yuuri pressed a hand to his side, offering Phichit a small smile, "We're getting out of here together, idiot."

"Your leg…" Whatever mechanism Yuuri had used to open the wall for Phichit had stabbed him in the side and the leg, his clothes slowly soaking into a dark red.

"Your arm." Yuuri retorted, "We're even."

"You're so stubborn."

"You're my best friend." Yuuri shrugged, offering him a smile.

Phichit had never felt luckier to have such an amazing friend, even if he was a little pig headed in moments like these. Yuuri could've just gotten out. Instead, he was doing everything he could to take Phichit with him, even if it meant hurting himself even more. Maybe they were both as stupid as each other. After all, Phichit was starting to lose the feeling in his arm.

Yuuri's limp had only gotten worse, but he was moving ahead of Phichit down the hallway. This one wasn't nearly as long as all the others. They could see the end of it from where they were. It was clearly a dead end. The only difference was a door. There was a wooden door at the end of the corridor with gold trimming. It looked so fancy in comparison to everything else they'd seen down there. In fact, it reminded Phichit of the doors that were in the house they'd been welcomed into before this insanity began.

"This is it, it has to be!" Yuuri was clearly excited, his hobbled walk becoming more purposeful as he moved as quickly as he could to reach the door, their escape.

It was too easy. That's the first thing Phichit thought. This felt too simple. Sure, he'd broken his arm, and Yuuri had gotten those cuts, but after everything they'd been through, to just have a door and be free? That didn't make sense. That wasn't what this place was. This was a nightmare, a hell that wanted to keep them contained. Why would the person who had dropped them in this terrifying place allow them such an easy escape?

This was another trap.

With that thought circling his mind, Phichit rushed to get to Yuuri before he could open the door, "Wait!"

But Yuuri already had his hand on the wooden finish, he was already turning the handle. As Yuuri opened the door, allowing the light to filter into their dungeon, Phichit used his good arm to shove Yuuri out of the way. But there wasn't enough time for him to move, too. Phichit felt the wind knocked out of him, his breath escaping his body as his body was littered with wounds. Knives? Lances? Swords? He didn't know what it was that had showered his body, just that everything felt… numb. It was like time had stood still as he fell to the ground, the sheer force of whatever had pierced his body enough to push him back. As he hit the ground, his eyes became heavy, and the last thing he heard was the sound of Yuuri's scream.


	3. Chapter 3

His day had started with awful coffee. Really, truly, terrible coffee. The machine at the station was renowned for its ludicrously bad beverages. There had been some small hope in the back of his mind that maybe he'd get lucky that day, or maybe he'd be tired enough to not give a damn about the bitter drink he'd poured out for himself. Unfortunately, it was not the kind of thing that would wake him up. Rather, it made him want to throw that damn machine in the trash and spend out his own money for a new one just to be sure this rude awakening would never occur for him again.

"Viktor." He heard a voice calling his name, looking up from the offending drink to see his best friend, Chris Giacometti smirking at him, "Having a bad morning?"

Viktor groaned, rubbing the back of his neck, "They don't really think this stuff is going to help us work, do they?"

"Go get some real coffee. There aren't any major cases right now."

"You sure?" Viktor would've liked nothing more than to leave and find himself a decent cup of coffee. He wasn't sure how long the day wasn't going to be or how long he'd last without it, but he'd been caught bailing for coffee before, he didn't need that to happen again.

"Relax, I'll cover for you." Chris smiled, patting Viktor's shoulder and sending a wink his way, "You can get me one as thanks."

"I should've known." Viktor grumbled, but he didn't object. It would be nice to leave the station for a little while. He felt like he'd spent all his time there recently. Some fresh air would be good for him.

It was a nice day, and Viktor was glad to be outdoors, even if it wouldn't last long. He'd have to go back there soon, or he'd be caught out and he'd only get Chris in trouble, too. The streets were quiet, a welcome change from the usual rush of tourists that seemed to come through in the afternoon. It was one of the reasons Viktor loved the mornings so much; it wasn't so unbearably busy.

The coffee shop wasn't that far from the station, so it didn't take Viktor much time to get himself and Chris their coffee. It felt like just any other day, but Viktor didn't tend to have much routine to his days. There was always some emergency he'd have to rush off to. These moments of tranquillity were short lived, so he always did his best to make the most of them. And yet, his thoughts of peaceful quiet were interrupted by a sound; a familiar sound he hadn't heard in years. The yapping of an excited dog.

Looking around himself, Viktor finally noticed the small poodle running around his legs in circles. "Oh. Hello." He knelt to inspect the dog more closely, "You look a lot like my Makkachin." He mused.

The poodle had finally sat still in front of Viktor, looking up at him and panting happily. The little dog was much smaller than Viktor's own poodle, but he couldn't deny the resemblance. The dog seemed well groomed, and when he placed one of the cups down and reached out to pet the friendly animal, it rolled over to give Viktor access to its belly, the feel of him telling Viktor that he hadn't been going hungry. All signs pointed to this dog belonging to someone, but Viktor knew most people in the city. He had to for his job. He'd never seen this dog before. There was the possibility that it belonged to a tourist, but most of them would keep their dogs on a leash.

Viktor watched as the dog got back to its feet, moving closer to Viktor and resting its paw on his arm. The little dog was quickly melting Viktor's heart. Leaving him on the street simply wasn't an option. Viktor gently rubbed behind the dog's ears, causing him to tilt his head into the touch. Using the vantage point he had, Viktor reached around the dog's neck, feeling the collar hidden beneath his fur. "Alright, what's your name, buddy?" Carefully, Viktor placed the second coffee cup on the ground beside them, pulling the little dog into his arms and feeling at the collar until he found the tag. He looked closely and sure enough, elegantly etched into the metal was the word 'Vicchan.' Viktor tilted his head, looking into the dog's deep brown eyes and smiling, "Nice to meet you, Vicchan. I'm Viktor."

Viktor really couldn't imagine someone abandoning this little dog in the city. It didn't make much sense, especially when he was clearly such a friendly animal. Placing Vicchan back on the ground, Viktor picked up the coffee, getting back to his feet. He didn't have the hands to hold the dog and their coffee, but he seemed like a smart animal. Viktor took a few steps forward, looking back at the dog, "Think you can follow me?"

Vicchan yapped excitedly before beginning to run through Viktor's legs again. Viktor was careful with his steps at first, eventually realising that this dog was very good at moving around his legs without tripping him. It was quite a contrast to his Makkachin always stumbling or barrelling into people.

Viktor stopped as they passed by a wall with wanted posters plastered over it, sighing softly. The dog at his feet didn't seem to notice, still running around him. Viktor stared at the faces on those posters, wishing he could get some answers just by looking at them. He'd been put on the case weeks ago but was no closer to solving it. The Order of Damnation. That's what the higher ups were calling the group that had been murdering particularly influential citizens. It sounded a bit dramatic to him, but murder was murder. Every day they were out on the streets was a day people weren't safe. He just wished he could pin them down.

They had managed to identify three members so far, but that didn't mean they actually knew where those members were. The first; Leo de la Iglesia, twenty years old. Viktor had only met him once before he became a suspect. Leo always seemed upbeat. He had plans for the future. Art, Viktor recalled. Leo was a creative person. Young, but full of promise. Yet now, he was working with a group of murderers. Then there was the girl in the centre poster; Mila Babicheva. She was a twenty two year old nursing student before everything went wrong. Viktor had become good friends with her, visiting the hospital often in order to question victims. Mila was always so cheerful, and incredibly talented. Unfortunately, she'd been caught trying to treat one of Leo's wounds late one night. They managed to flee together, and Viktor hadn't seen her since. He didn't know if she was still alive, but his superiors had insisted that she was now a wanted woman.

The last face was the one that raised the most concern for Viktor. Yuri Plisetsky, only sixteen years old. He was an orphan, moving from home to home but never able to find a family. Yuri had a temper. He'd always had one, and every family he had been sent to hadn't been able to handle him. Everyone thought he was just a grumpy kid right up until the erasure of all files related to Mila and Leo. It took a lot of work, but eventually they managed to trace the hacker back to Yuri's computer. Viktor didn't want to believe a kid could be part of something so big. He liked to think Yuri was just trying to mess with them, but it was too serious to be ignored.

Three people, so young, so full of promise, and he had no idea where they were or what would possess them to murder. This was his case, though. He was expected to find them and bring them in. They were doing a great job of covering their tracks. Viktor was out of leads on this case and his superiors were breathing down his neck for some kind of progress. Was it really so much to ask for one of them to just come forward and give him something to work with? Viktor felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, carefully balancing one of the cups between his arm and his chest and pulling it out to see Chris' name lighting up the screen. He swiped the answer button, holding the phone to his ear, "I know, I know. I have your coffee, I'll be back in a minute."

 _"No time. They found another one. I'll send you the address."_

"...How many victims?"

 _"Four."_

Viktor sighed softly, "Alright, I'm on my way."

OoOoO

Once he'd gotten back to the station, Viktor had taken his car and driven straight to the address Chris sent him. It didn't take too long to get there. The place itself was on the outskirts of the city, but still not very far from the station. It made Viktor a little uneasy; to think that people could be murdered so close to the police and for them to not hear anything about it until it's too late. These assassins were good. The killings had gone on for a long time now, it was only recently that Viktor had been put on the case, and he was starting to understand why people kept pushing it along to someone else. They always seemed to be a step ahead of them, no matter how hard Viktor tried to predict their movements.

Parking the car out front among a handful of other police cars, Viktor turned to the passenger seat where his new furry companion was sitting happily, "You wait here. This won't take too long."

Stepping out of the car, Viktor strolled into the large house. The first thing he noticed was the blood. Dripping along the floor, smeared along the wall. Chris may have said there were four victims, but this looked more like a massacre. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a crime scene in such a state. It was a sure-fire sign that these people had at least attempted to fight back. He was guided into what appeared to be a living room. The distinct smell of blood and death filled the room, it was the thing Viktor hated most about his job. He'd told himself that becoming a detective meant helping people, but it was too late for them. These people had already lost everything.

Chris was standing in the centre of the room, examining one of the bodies when he heard Viktor arrive. He smiled as he came to stand beside Viktor, watching him pull on his gloves, "Where's my coffee?"

"In the car. This is a crime scene." Viktor pointed out.

"I won't tell if you don't."

Viktor used the hand he hadn't yet slipped a glove onto, poking Chris in the forehead and looking pointedly into his eyes, "Behave." Pulling on the other glove, he finally allowed himself to move closer to the bodies, shifting his posture as he tried to take in the scene. There were two bodies in the room, one sprawled on the floor, another laying back on the sofa. They were both soaking in blood, no doubt their own, "So what have we got?"

Chris pointed to the body on the floor, "Death by firearm. Multiple shots to the right arm, torso, and a shot to the neck. Probably the fatal blow." He brushed by Viktor, pointing to the second body, "Only one wound on this one, so no question about the cause of death. Laceration to the neck. Judging by the blood patterns in the room, I'd say an artery was hit. Bled out." He shrugged, "I'd leave it to the Pathologist to confirm, though."

Viktor knelt beside the body on the floor, noticing the gun sitting beside him on the ground, "I want the bullets tested, see if we can match them to any maker in the city."

"You do that every time." Chris pointed out.

Viktor frowned, looking up at his friend, "And the one time I don't will be the time I should've." Getting to his feet, he moved to the other body, looking the man over. He didn't seem to have any signs of a struggle. It was most likely he was the first to die. "What about the other two victims?"

Chris stepped aside, gesturing for Viktor to step into the hallway, "Right this way."

Viktor stepped out of the room, waiting for Chris to show him the way. It seemed that all the chaos had taken place downstairs, but Viktor made a mental note to get the others to check upstairs just in case. As far as he was concerned, the entire house was a crime scene, and Viktor was always thorough with these things. He watched as Chris made his way into a side room. It appeared to be some kind of study. Inside, another body was laid out on the ground, though this time, the man seemed to have been moved there if the smearing patterns in the blood were anything to go by. Another body was rested in the corner of the room against the wall. The one against the wall had a gun in his hand. Viktor looked around the room, trying to assess the scene, "Cause of death?"

"These two were both shot. The one in the centre of the room has some lacerations to his right arm."

Viktor looked carefully at his surroundings, trying to figure out why exactly the two men would've been in that room. He slowly moved further inside, noting the pile of paperwork on the desk along with a large stack of books. He picked one off the top of the pile, turning it over in his hands before placing it back down. There was nothing special about the reading material; at least, not at first glance. He'd take a closer look later. There were still a lot of things he needed to figure out about the place.

"What are you thinking?" Chris asked curiously as he watched Viktor move around the room.

Chris had told him so many times that he enjoyed watching Viktor work, that there was something interesting about the expressions on his face, or the way he became so much more serious than he normally was. The end of the room had a fireplace, and Viktor couldn't help but be drawn to it. He stepped closer, kneeling in front of it for closer inspection, "Wondering why these guys were in here. Four grown men gathering together, probably some kind of business meeting. So why would these two be in here?"

"Maybe they ran in here during the attack?" Chris offered.

It was a possibility, one he couldn't rule out, but Viktor still felt like there was something off about that room. He moved his fingers along the inside of the mantel, pausing when he felt a lump in the finish. He pressed down on what he now realised was a button, quickly shifting back as the fireplace slid into the wall, opening to present them with a new room, "Huh."

"You're so sexy when you're sleuthing, Viktor."

"Save it." Viktor had well and truly gotten used to Chris' harmless flirting by now, but this felt important. Really important. The room itself was small, but there was a door at the other side. A wooden door with gold trimming. That wasn't what had him so worried, through. The other door was ajar, and Viktor could see a pool of blood at the entrance, "Are you sure there were only four victims?"

"We only found these four bodies." Chris confirmed.

"I want that blood tested. I need to know who it belongs to." It was a clue. The best clue he'd found since he'd been given the case. If those other bodies were here, then that blood might just belong to one of the assassins. Even having a new name could be enough to bring them closer to the truth. Viktor turned back to Chris, smiling, "We might finally have ourselves a lead."

Viktor spent more time slowly and meticulously looking through the scene, picking out potential pieces of evidence. There were only so many things he could find. These assassins were incredibly thorough, and always seemed to be a step ahead of him when it came to cleaning up after themselves. He knew that most of the evidence he'd be sending to the lab would come back as nothing. He'd dealt with it before. Viktor tried not to let it phase him, knowing that he still had to be as careful as he could.

Once he was done, he made his way back outside, tugging off his gloves. Viktor noticed Chris already out there, talking on his phone. Chris was smiling as he spoke, so at least Viktor knew it wasn't anything serious. He wasn't going to find out there was yet another murder. Making his way to his car, he opened the door, leaning inside to take out Chris' coffee. Instead, he was met with a small poodle excitedly licking his cheek. Viktor laughed, gently pushing the dog back, "I wasn't gone that long. Just stay here, I have to give this to Chris. Then I'll take you to meet Makkachin, okay?"

Vicchan's tail was thumping rapidly against the car seat, but he sat patiently, watching as Viktor took out one of the cups. Viktor frowned, closing the car door and walking over to Chris. The coffee wasn't nearly as warm as it had been when he got it, but it would still be better than the dirt water back at the station. As he got closer, he could hear Chris talking to the person on the other end of the phone.

"No, nothing… everything's fine… you're worrying about nothing." Chris noticed Viktor standing beside him, winking at his friend, "I'll be back a little later to give you the details."

Viktor raised an eyebrow as Chris hung up, slipping the phone into his pocket, "Trouble in paradise?"

"Do I look like the kind of guy to play around?" Chris pouted as he took the cup.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?"

"No." Chris took a sip of the coffee, "This is nearly cold."

"Yeah well, blame the crime scene."

* * *

 **Author Notes** : Vicchan and Viktor are my new favourite thing. I have no regrets.


	4. Chapter 4

Phichit was splayed against the ground, knives digging into his body. All Yuuri could do was watch, wide eyed with a mix of shock and fear. He had fallen to the ground with the force of Phichit's push, but couldn't bring himself to move. Yuuri couldn't feel the pain in his leg, the throbbing of his head. His vision was unsteady, but he couldn't possibly tear his eyes away from his friend slowly bleeding out on the ground beside him.

Yuuri gasped, his breath catching in his throat and his eyes shooting open, dread flooding through his body. He heard the sound of a heart monitor nearby, the sound as rapid as his own heartbeat pounding in his chest. The pain seemed to have disappeared, his whole body feeling like it was floating and melting all at the same time. The light in the room was blinding, causing Yuuri to try to cover his eyes with his hand, feeling something attached to his finger. This wasn't the maze. This wasn't their hell. That much was clear. The panic only got worse as he realised that he didn't know where he was, that he didn't know where Phichit was. The beeping from the heart monitor sped up, and suddenly Yuuri felt a gentle hand against his arm.

"Shh. Hey, it's alright. You're safe now." The voice was soft with an accent Yuuri couldn't quite place.

Blinking a few more times, Yuuri tried to get his eyes to adjust to the light in the room, eventually being able to see everything around him more clearly. He looked to his left, seeing windows, an empty chair, and a cupboard. The room didn't seem to be very big, but it was...pleasant. Hesitantly, he looked to his right, only to be met with a warm smile from a woman he'd never seen before. She still had her hand resting against his arm, sitting on a stool beside him. Yuuri didn't know whether to be scared, or to cry in relief. After everything he'd been through, fear was quickly winning out. He only wished the heart monitor would stop giving his emotions away.

The woman beside him chuckled nervously, running a free hand through her ginger hair, "You were lucky, you know? Whatever pierced your stomach just barely missed any vital organs. We might've had to perform surgery."

"Where am I?" Yuuri asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"That's complicated." She smiled sheepishly, leaning closer, "Can you tell me your name?"

He paused, uncertain at first, but quickly realising his life was in this woman's hands. If she wanted to kill him, he'd already be dead. It wasn't as if he had any ability to fight back, "Y-Yuuri. Yuuri Katsuki."

"Really? I know another Yuri. He's a lot grumpier than you." She giggled, "My name's Mila. It's nice to meet you."

Yuuri watched her carefully, suddenly remembering all his fears from moments before. Phichit. Phichit had those knives all over his body. There was so much blood. He wasn't moving. The image of his friend covered in his own gore was burned into Yuuri's mind, and there was only one thing he cared about; was Phichit okay? Did he get out? "Where's Phichit?" Yuuri moved to sit up, pain shooting up his stomach as he did.

Yuuri's breath caught in his throat, the pain taking him by surprise and Mila quickly rested her hands on his shoulders, gently pressing him back into the bed, "You need to rest. You have a concussion, and your wounds will only hurt more if you move around too much."

"Phichit." Yuuri repeated, taking a deep breath as the pain returned to a dull throb, "Where's Phichit?"

"You mean the guy who was in that place with you? The one with the broken arm?" She asked, her face impossible to read. Yuuri wasn't sure if Mila was hiding something from him, or not. Her expression remained completely neutral despite how important the question was. Yuuri needed to find Phichit. He needed to know that his best friend was okay.

"Please." His voice cracked as he spoke, tears in his eyes as he thought about his friend taking those knives. Those knives meant for Yuuri, "Please just tell me he's okay."

Mila sighed softly, her eyes glancing down at her own fingers, "Phichit had internal bleeding. The broken bones in his arm had something to do with it, I think. Whatever caused it must've used a lot of force. It was something that I could monitor and work through, but that… wasn't the biggest problem for him." Yuuri could only watch her, trying to take in everything she was saying, "He had… a lot of wounds. The knives that had punctured his body went in deep. Deeper than the ones that stabbed your side and your leg. He had a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen… Even if I could've gotten him through all the surgery he'd need to survive, I didn't have a chance. He was losing blood too quickly for me to do anything."

"No." Yuuri sat up again, ignoring the pain in his body as he tried to drag himself out of the bed, "No, you're lying! Where is he!?"

"I'm sorry…" Yuuri froze, hearing the change in her voice, watching as Mila rested her fists against her knees and hung her head. He watched her carefully, noticing the tears dripping onto her knuckles, "I'm so sorry."

"Wha… why are you crying?" Yuuri stared at her in disbelief. She had no idea who Phichit was. She had no idea how important he was. Phichit was everything to Yuuri, his best friend, the person who had helped him train Vicchan, the one who was there when Yuuri felt like his world was falling apart, the one who never gave up on him. So why was this stranger crying?

She looked up at him, tears glistening in her blue eyes, "Because… I failed. I lost a patient. He didn't deserve to die."

Yuuri wasn't sure what to say. He expected her to be like the man that had put them through that hell. He thought he'd be trapped in a world of monsters, but there she was. Mila. Crying for someone she didn't even know. But Yuuri couldn't even believe it. He couldn't accept it. Phichit was more full of life than anyone he'd ever known. There was no way Phichit could die. He wouldn't let that happen to himself. "Can… can I see him?" He knew it was a lot to ask, but Yuuri needed to know for sure. He couldn't possibly accept that Phichit was gone until he saw it for himself.

Before Mila could respond, the door to the small room was pushed open, a blond boy leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, "Mila." He seemed to pause, frowning as he watched her quickly wipe away her tears, "You're crying again? Seriously?"

Mila chuckled nervously, looking over at the boy, "We can't all be as cold as you, Yura."

He rolled his eyes, looking pointedly at Yuuri, "Whatever. The boss wants to see him."

Yuuri looked between the two of them, feeling uncertain. The boss? He should've known this was bigger than some nice doctor finding him and patching him up. Where was he? Who were these people? What had he gotten himself into? So many questions spun through his mind, he didn't know where to start. Thankfully, Mila spoke up for him, "I'll take you to see the boss, then to see Phichit, okay?"

"Who?" The boy in the doorway paused, "Oh. Him." Stepping into the room, the boy seemed to look Yuuri up and down as though he was trying to dissect him with his eyes, "He saved you."

"What?" Yuuri blinked, looking into the boy's harsh green eyes.

"Phichit. I saw the camera footage. He saved you." Yuuri looked away, the guilt beginning to well up inside of him again. It wasn't something he needed to be reminded of. Phichit would still be alive if Yuuri hadn't opened that door. If he hadn't rushed ahead and let his own excitement get in the way of logic, he would be waking up with his best friend at his side. It was his own selfishness that got Phichit killed. That was all Yuuri could possibly think about. There were tears in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall, not in front of this boy. But then the boy was moving forward, grabbing Yuuri's face by his chin and lifting his head to look into his eyes, his gaze burning with emotions Yuuri wouldn't begin to decipher, "So don't waste the second chance he gave you, got it?"

Yuuri nodded hesitantly. Whoever he was, the boy was intimidating. He didn't expect to be afraid of someone so young, but he'd never seen someone as sure of themselves as his guy seemed to be. Finally letting go, the blond stepped out of the room, calling after himself, "Don't keep him waiting!"

OoOoO

It had been more difficult for Yuuri to get out of the bed than he expected, but once he was on his feet, it wasn't so bad. The pain was definitely there, but it wasn't unbearable. Mila kept offering to help him, telling Yuuri to lean against her for support, but he always refused, instead using the wall to keep himself upright. It was stubborn, he knew it was, but he didn't care. He didn't want these people thinking he was weak, thinking they could walk all over him. Yuuri just wanted to see his friend. He wanted to tell them that they were wrong, that they had the wrong guy and that Phichit was still out there somewhere, just fine.

As they stepped into the main hall, Yuuri saw two men standing by a long table. One with dark hair, the other blond. The darker haired man was the first he heard speak, "It was your job to clean up."

"And I did. It's not my fault Nikiforov is so thorough."

The man who seemed to be the boss judging by the way he was talking to the blond, pitched the bridge of his nose with a gloved hand, taking a breath, "It's all our asses on the line. We can't afford for you to cut corners."

Mila cleared her throat, getting the attention of the two men and smiling sweetly, "You wanted to see our patient."

Sure enough, the darker haired man moved to stand in front of him, looking Yuuri up and down. He had been dissected by too many eyes that day, Yuuri was feeling more and more uncomfortable with every passing moment, "Did he tell you his name?"

"Yuuri Katsuki." He spoke before Mila could have a chance, looking back at her. He didn't need anyone to speak for him, and the way this guy seemed uninterested with talking directly to him just got on Yuuri's nerves. He'd been through too much already. Yuuri wanted answers of his own.

"Alright. Yuuri." The man nodded, "Do you have a criminal record?"

"I don't remember a Katsuki being in the database, but that's a pretty extensive list." The blond chimed in, walking over and sending a wink Yuuri's way. He reached a hand out for Yuuri to shake, "It's lovely to meet you, Yuuri."

"Stop flirting, Chris."

"I wasn't." The man, Chris, pouted, taking his hand back, "The least you could do is let the poor guy know you're not going to kill him."

The boss groaned in frustration, turning to Chris, "Keep an eye on the results. If anything about Yuuri Katsuki comes up, I want you to dispose of it before the Detective gets his hands on it."

"Consider it done."

"I don't want anymore bad news from you."

"You need to lighten up." Chris smiled brightly, stepping away from their boss and walking over to the table. It was only at that moment that Yuuri realised there were a bunch of bags on the table. His bags. Phichit's bags. Yuuri watched Chris carefully, trying to figure out how they had gotten all of their things, but was quickly distracted by their boss.

"Answer my question, Mister Katsuki."

"I don't." Yuuri hesitantly stepped forward, moving towards Chris. He ignored the look of disapproval from their boss, focusing on the bags and the man standing beside them. "Where'd you get this…?"

Looking up, Chris grinned, "This is yours, right? Figured I'd get it for you before the police could get their hands on it. Which reminds me." He leaned over one of the bags, picking up a small cage and placing it on the table beside Yuuri, "Are these little guys yours?"

Yuuri stared in disbelief at the three hamsters sleeping soundly in their cage. He hadn't even thought about the possibility of Phichit's hamsters being lost to those people. Hesitantly, he moved closer, lifting the lid of the cage and watching as one of the hamsters crawled up his arm, sitting on his shoulder. They had always been friendly, had always loved people. Yuuri mostly thought it was because of Phichit, because of how he'd raised them. Phichit had shown them nothing but love from the moment they were born. They'd lived a life of luxury thanks to Yuuri's best friend. And they would never get to see him again. Yuuri's breath was shaky, his eyes filling with unshed tears as he stared at the cage, "Can I please see my friend now?"

OoOoO

There were a lot of things Yuuri had been uncertain about in his life. Taking up dance took him time, unsure if it was the right decision. Traveling to the capitol had filled him with so much doubt, he almost hadn't done it. But the long walk to see Phichit filled him with so much dread, he wanted to run. To run, hide, and pretend none of this existed. He didn't want to believe Phichit was gone, and Yuuri was so sure that seeing whoever they had told him was dead would confirm that for him. They had found someone else. Anyone else. That's what he kept telling himself.

When they finally got to the room, Mila opened the door for him, "We have a grave prepared for him, but I didn't want to do anything until you got a chance to say goodbye."

Her words had Yuuri's stomach twisting in knots. She was so sure. Mila seemed so certain that this was Phichit, and he hated it. He wanted to scream, to tell her to stop lying, to run out of this place and try to find his friend. The room itself was identical to the one he had woken up in, through there was clearly a body laying on the bed, covered by a white sheet with splotches of red stained into the fabric.

Mila stepped in ahead of Yuuri, waiting for him to be standing beside her before she carefully removed the sheet. There was blood. So much blood. Yuuri was reminded of the pool of it Phichit had laid in after the knives hit him. So many stab wounds covered the body. More than Yuuri had expected. He took a deep breath as he finally let himself look at his face. The eyes were closed, hair disheveled and matted with blood, and he was pale. So pale. Despite all that, despite the lack of life in the body he'd been presented with, Yuuri knew.

His best friend was dead.

Yuuri felt all air escape him, his heart aching as he stared at the lifeless body of Phichit. He could feel his legs give out beneath him as he stared in awe at his friend, falling to his knees beside his bed. Yuuri ignored the pain in his leg, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Phichit was gone. He wasn't coming back, and Yuuri's mind kept playing through those last moments they'd spent together. It was his fault. He killed him. Phichit was gone because he acted on impulse. Yuuri was alive because his best friend wasn't. That thought alone sent a whole new wave of pain and guilt through him.

Yuuri rested his head against the edge of the bed, unable to hold back his tears anymore. There was no reason to. He'd been telling himself that he was panicking for nothing, that they were wrong and Phichit was fine, but he wasn't. Reaching blindly, Yuuri found Phichit's cold hand, squeezing it as tightly as he could, a sob wracking through his body. He wanted to speak, but words wouldn't form. Instead, he silently screamed in his mind, screamed all the things he wanted to tell his friend.

No more fighting over the last piece of food at dinner. No more waking up to Phichit's snoring. No more selfies. No more lessons about animals. No more teasing each other, or arguing. No more. Everything was gone. Grief consumed Yuuri, drowning out the physical pain. He felt arms wrap around him, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. It was all some twisted nightmare, and all he wanted to do was wake up. But he couldn't.

This nightmare was his new reality.

* * *

 **Author Notes** : Successfully made myself cry writing this... welp. I'm sorry :(


	5. Chapter 5

"I was never very good at these kinds of things. You were always the talker of the two of us, you know? I don't really know what I'm meant to do without you around. I just danced until you dragged me along with you." Yuuri sat on the grass beside the makeshift grave that had been set up for Phichit, staring at the rocks that had been carefully balanced to mark his resting place, "I can't believe it's been a week already. I keep expecting you to walk through the door and tell me about some crazy idea you've come up with." He looked down at his hands, wringing his fingers together nervously, "I'm scared, Phichit. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Yuuri had learned a lot about the people who had saved him over the week he'd spent trying to recover from his injuries. Mila had insisted he stay in bed and rest, but Yuuri was determined to get back on his feet. The moment she was sure his concussion was gone, Yuuri had spent all his time trying to walk. He hated limping, hating knowing that he was weak. His weakness was why Phichit had died. That was what he'd been telling himself. That didn't compare to the real problem.

Having spent a week in that place, Yuuri knew things. He knew that these people were murderers, overhearing the occasional conversation between them, hearing them talk about targets. As far as he'd seen, there were seven of them. He knew their faces, he knew their names. Mila Babicheva, Leo de la Iglesia, Yuri Plisetsky, Christophe Giacometti, Guang Hong Ji, Sara Crispino, and their boss, Seung-gil Lee. The fact that he knew their names and their faces was what had him most worried. These people were sharing themselves with him, and that meant one thing. They were going to kill him. That was the only thing that made sense to Yuuri. Why else would they be fine with him knowing everything about them? Still, Mila had nursed him back to health? Why waste all this time trying to fix his wounds only to have him killed? None of this made sense.

"Yuuri." He looked up at the sound of the gentle voice behind him, watching as the dark haired girl sat down beside him, "Talking to your friend again?"

Any time he hadn't spent trying to recover from his wounds was spent in front of that grave, talking to Phichit. Yuuri's life had spun out of control. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, but talking to Phichit always made him feel better, even if he would never get a response in return. Yuuri looked back at the grave, speaking softly, "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"All of us are marked for death. We had to accept that before coming here." Sara pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head against Yuuri's shoulder, "I'm sorry you weren't given a choice. We couldn't leave you to die in that place."

"You're assassins." Yuuri pointed out, "You leave people to die every day."

"Bad people." Sara corrected, looking up at him, "The only reason we kill at all is to help people like you."

"No one deserves to die."

"Even the guy who killed Phichit?" Yuuri looked into Sara's eyes as she asked, seeing the genuine curiosity. It was a big question, one that Yuuri hadn't really thought too much about. He had been so focused on Phichit's death, he didn't really think about these people having killed the man that had sent them to that place. They saved Yuuri, they got revenge for Phichit. If he was honest with himself, Yuuri really didn't know what he would've done in their place. If he'd been given the opportunity to kill the man who had killed his friend, would he? Maybe. It wasn't an idea he would immediately reject. The fact that he'd even consider it scared him.

Sara didn't bother waiting for an answer, "I used to be a chemistry student. I always really liked learning about chemicals and the things they were capable of. My brother, he was always really supportive, you know? Always trying to take care of me. Then one day I found out he was the one who needed protecting. One day, I noticed that he had bruises on his arms. When I asked, he wouldn't tell me what was wrong." She was staring at the ground as she spoke, "Things got worse and worse. He barely ate, he was scared to leave the house, but he wouldn't tell me why. Eventually, I tracked down the guy who had been hurting my brother. But it wasn't just him. There were others, too. People going through what my brother was going through. People who weren't as strong… The answer felt obvious to me. One life for the sake of many? Isn't that easy?"

Getting to her feet, she dusted off the seat of her jeans and reached a hand out for Yuuri, "I have an idea. Something that'll help you get all these feelings out."

"What did you do?" Yuuri asked, though he didn't really need to. He already knew the answer.

"Snuck a little potassium chloride in his drink. The chemicals were broken down into his system. They said the cause of death was a heart attack."

He stared at her in a mix of fear and curiosity, "How can you be so calm?"

"I saved my brother and those people. I don't regret it." Sara shrugged, taking Yuuri's hand and pulling him off the ground, "C'mon."

OoOoO

Every time Yuuri moved through that place, it seemed to be bigger than before. He thought he'd seen all of it, but Sara was guiding him through hallways he'd never been through. Yuuri still wasn't entirely sure where they were, but wherever it was, it seemed to be even bigger than the mansion he'd found himself in on his first day in the capitol. It wasn't nearly as fancy, though. It had a more lived in, homely feel. Maybe he shouldn't, but Yuuri felt comfortable there in a way he hadn't felt in the entire time he'd spent away from home.

Opening a door, Sara gestured for Yuuri to step inside. Before he'd even walked in, he could hear gunshots. The feeling of ease as he walked around that place quickly faded away at the thought of what exactly Sara had planned for him. He watched her, uncertain of whether he should step inside. Maybe it wasn't a good idea. Maybe this would be the point where they killed him. After all, she had opened up to him, told him things that no one else knew about her. Now would be the perfect time to finish him off.

Sara seemed to notice the uncertainty, rolling her eyes and smiling fondly as she pressed her hand to Yuuri's back and pushed him inside, "Leo!"

Stepping further into the room, Yuuri was met with a shooting range. Leo stood nearby, shooting at the targets. The first thing Yuuri noticed about Leo's shooting was that he took his time aiming for the head on the silhouette shaped targets. He would aim for arms, the side of a stomach, necks, and then finally the head. After unloading the last of the bullets in his gun, Leo turned to Sara, smiling brightly, "Finally decided to try a gun?"

"Not me." Sara rested her hand on Yuuri's shoulder, "I thought maybe you could give our guest a try."

"What? Me?" Yuuri glanced over at her, taking a step back and shaking his head, "No, I've never even held a gun before."

"First time for everything." Leo shrugged, reaching out and taking Yuuri's arm, pulling him further into the room, "Let's see how good you are."

"Seriously, I'm fine." Yuuri looked back at Sara, silently trying to get her to take him away from this situation. Whatever she had planned for him, this wasn't what he'd expected.

"It'll help you get your emotions out. It's like punching a pillow." Sara shrugged.

Before he knew what was happening, Leo was taking Yuuri's hand, placing a handgun in it and carefully helping Yuuri get the right hold on it. Yuuri's heart was racing, knowing how dangerous this little tool in his hand was, wishing he was anywhere but there. Yuuri chewed his lip nervously, "Should you really be giving this to me?"

"If you tried anything, you'd be dead before you hit the ground." Leo chuckled as Yuuri's face paled, "Relax, it's filled with blanks. I wouldn't waste real bullets on shooting practice."

Yuuri stared at the gun in his hand, uncertain of what exactly he was supposed to do. He'd never touched a gun before, never thought he would. There had never been any need to. Yuuri came from a small town where everyone knew everyone, and they were always kind to each other. There had never been a need for things like this.

Leo handed Yuuri a magazine for the gun, picking up an identical gun and magazine for himself. He made sure Yuuri was watching him, "This is a G19. Pretty standard, really. It's small so it's easy to hide. Easy to shoot, not much recoil, so you should be able to handle it. The magazine goes into the handle like this," He quickly slipped the magazine into the gun, "And once you're out of bullets, you hit this little release here to take out the magazine and slip in a new one." Leo stepped closer, pointing out the release on the gun in Yuuri's hand, "It holds fifteen shots, so you have a decent margin for error. It would be better if you didn't make mistakes, though." Leo smirked, gesturing to the shooting range behind him, "Step right up. Show me what you've got."

Yuuri stared at Leo, uncertain. It wasn't that the information he'd been given was that difficult to understand. Not really. It was simple enough, and all he really had to do was load the magazine into the gun, but he still didn't understand why he was being given the gun, why they were insisting on him trying this at all. It wasn't that Yuuri was afraid of guns, he just didn't think he'd ever be in a situation like this. Things had become so strange since he left home.

Hesitantly, Yuuri slipped the magazine into the gun, stepping closer to the shooting range. Leo moved closer, pulling back the slide on the gun for him, "Where you want to aim is up to you."

Yuuri listened to Leo, nodding tentatively as he held up the gun, aiming at the targets in front of him. Leo had said to aim wherever he wanted, but to Yuuri, headshots were what made the most sense. After all, that was the fastest way to take someone out. It just seemed to be the most logical choice. Yuuri let out a shaky breath as he aimed the gun, his every move hesitant as he pulled the trigger. Yuuri didn't know why he hadn't expected the recoil, even as Leo had mentioned it. He yelped, taking a step back and staring wide eyed at the gun in his hand.

Sara giggled behind him, "Congratulations on your first shot, Yuuri."

Leo frowned as he stared at the target, "Where were you aiming?"

"What?" Yuuri bit his lip, thinking about what he might've messed up, "I um… I aimed for the head. Is that okay?"

"Let's try something." Leo walked behind Yuuri, resting his hands on his shoulders, "Aim for the left shoulder."

"Why?" Yuuri frowned, confused. Leo had just said he could aim for whatever he wanted, so why was he asking him to shoot specific spots all of a sudden?

"Just do it."

He really didn't feel like he had much choice. He was stuck in this place, and Sara had been so certain that this would make him feel better. It hadn't, though. Not really. It didn't feel like punching a pillow at all. It felt like… shooting a target. Yuuri brought the gun back up, aiming for the left shoulder like Leo had asked, and firing. He wasn't taken off guard by the recoil this time, getting used to the feeling. It wasn't a feeling he necessarily wanted to get used to, but Leo seemed to enjoy having someone to teach.

"Right knee." Yuuri felt Leo's hands leave his shoulders, hearing him step to stand beside him. Moving his aim, he let out a breath as he shot again, "Right hand." Again, Yuuri moved the aim, shooting again, "Neck." Once more, he moved the gun and shot again. This time, Leo didn't speak, instead he heard an impressed whistle beside him.

Yuuri carefully placed the gun down in front of him, "I don't think this is gonna help me. Thanks for trying, Sara."

"Are you kidding? You're a natural. I've never seen anyone with such good aim." Leo bounced forward, picking up the gun Yuuri had put down and trying to give it back to him, "Well, other than me."

Yuuri blinked, trying to process what Leo had said. He wasn't really paying attention to how well the shots had landed. He was just focusing on doing that they asked of him. Still, Sara said this would help him get his feelings out, but it didn't. Not really. He was too focused on doing what they asked of him to really think about anything else. He offered Leo a smile, "Thanks, but this isn't really making me feel any better. You're better off using the ammo yourself."

Leo nodded thoughtfully, handing Yuuri the gun and stepping around him, "Think about that maze."

"What?" Yuuri's eyes grew wide, "How do you know about that?"

"Guang Hong and I were the ones that got your ass out of there." Leo waved off the question, shaking his head, "I want you to think about that place. Think about Phichit."

Yuuri gritted his teeth as he listened to Leo, but he didn't let his eyes move from the targets in front of him. He didn't want Leo to know the effect something so simple could have on him. Phichit was a weakness, Yuuri's biggest weakness. Whenever his best friend was brought up, he found his emotions running on high. Phichit was a good person. He didn't deserve the things that had happened to him. He didn't deserve the pain he had gone through.

"He was in agony. Everything he did was to save you, but you couldn't save him. But there was one person who did all this to you both. You know who I mean, right?" Yuuri was listening to Leo speak, but didn't respond, his mind spinning with heartache and anger, because Leo was right. Phichit had dealt with so much, and it was all because of the man who had taken them in. He planned it from the beginning, he must've. It was his fault Phichit was dead. It was his fault all of this had happened. Yuuri had never hated anyone as much as he hated that man. His grip on the gun tightened.

"Now. I want you to look at that target, and picture the one responsible for Phichit's death."

That was all Yuuri needed. Without thinking, he began unloading the bullets into the target. He didn't care about where he was aiming anymore. His mind was stuck on Phichit, on his friend being gone. There was nothing he could do about it. That feeling of helplessness made him so angry. If he wasn't so weak, maybe he could've done something, anything to save his friend. Tears stung at Yuuri's eyes as he kept pulling the trigger only to hear the sound of an empty chamber filling the room.

"Better?" Leo asked, his voice soft.

Yuuri wiped away his tears, reluctantly looking over at him, "Do… do you have anymore blanks?"

OoOoO

Yuuri didn't know how long he spent at the shooting range. It had been a lot more therapeutic than he expected it to be, and Leo had been more enthusiastic with each passing minute. His fingers tingled from the recoil of the gun, but it had been worth it. Sara was right. Keeping all his feelings inside wasn't helping him. He needed to get it all out if he ever wanted to move on. But Yuuri wasn't sure he wanted to move on. Moving on meant letting go, and Yuuri wasn't willing to let go of his best friend. Not yet.

"Tomorrow, I'll show you how to use a Walther P99." Leo's excitement was clear in his voice as he walked in step beside Yuuri. He didn't seem to mind having to move a little slower for Yuuri's limp, just happy to have someone to shoot with.

"Like, the James Bond gun?"

Leo chuckled, "That's the one. It's a lot of fun to use, but we'll have to see if you're as good with it as you are with a G19. Maybe one day I'll be able to get you on rifles."

"Oh, I don't know. I don't really think I-" Yuuri stopped moving as he caught sight of the husky standing at the end of the hallway. He was much more used to little dogs, like Vicchan. Just the thought made his stomach tie in knots. He'd been so occupied with the thoughts of his friend, that he hadn't been thinking about his poodle, where he might be, what he might be going through. Maybe Vicchan was having a better time than he was.

Leo rested a hand on Yuuri's shoulder, "She's friendly as long as she trusts you. Don't worry."

Yuuri hesitantly took a step closer, "She looks so serious."

"Well, she is the boss' dog."

That made sense. Yuuri hadn't seen much of Seung-gil since he arrived, but he was one of the more serious people in the place. He'd never seen Seung-gil so much as smile. Yuuri knelt down, ignoring the twinge in his leg and holding out a hand towards the dog. He liked animals, Phichit had instilled that in him. Dogs especially were animals he felt close to. Yuuri watched closely as the husky at the end of the hallway slowly made her way towards him, finally stopping and sitting in front of him, "Hi there." The dog sniffed at Yuuri's hand, and he hesitantly moved his hand to rub behind her ears, smiling as the dog leaned into the touch, "Vicchan really likes that, too."

"Well, it looks like you've won someone over"

Yuuri looked up from the dog at the sound of Seung-gil's voice, quickly getting to his feet and bowing politely, "Um. Thank you for your hospitality, sir."

He felt Leo pat his back, stepping ahead of him, "You should think about signing him on, boss. He's a natural with a gun."

"Is he?" Seung-gil raised an eyebrow, stepping closer, "Do you understand what we do?"

Yuuri stood up straight, looking down at his hands and chewing his lip nervously, "You um… you kill people."

"Do you know why?"

"Sara said you did it to help people." Yuuri spoke softly, "But I don't know how killing people can help anyone…"

Seung-gil nodded thoughtfully, "Everyone thinks things are perfect here, but they aren't. The man you became a victim of is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot more people like him."

Yuuri frowned, "But… aren't the police doing anything about them?"

"The higher ups take control. The twisted people who abuse the citizens are all in power. They throw a little money around and they can do whatever they want. That is why we do what we do." Seung-gil looked pointedly at Yuuri, "We aren't going to kill you. You've done nothing wrong. You'll be staying here with us. If you want to travel into the city at any time, you'll have to be escorted just in case. We can't afford for you to tell anyone anything about us."

Yuuri didn't say anything, trying to process the information. It was hard to believe there were more people capable of subjecting others to the things he'd experienced. It was starting to make sense; what Sara said. If they killed one person, it could save the lives of dozens. Who knows how many people that man had killed before Phichit. It was hard to think that maybe murder was the answer. He couldn't possibly believe that it was right. Murder was never right. But what they were doing… didn't seem so wrong.

"Give him a chance, boss. He has my support. Sara and Mila both love him, too." Leo spoke up, smiling brightly, "He'd be an asset."

Seung-gil nodded, "Yeah, yeah, you don't have to push it, Leo." He stepped closer, tilting his head as he looked Yuuri up and down, "The only way we could let you leave this place without supervision is if you join us. Leo seems convinced you have what it takes, and after what you've been through, you certainly have a reason to fight."

"Wait." Yuuri once again felt like he'd been thrown for a loop. There was so much happening much too quickly, and he didn't even know where to begin. Yuuri had never killed anyone before. He'd never wanted to kill anyone before, and suddenly these people were offering him a place among them. "I don't really want to kill anyone…"

Leo scoffed, "You have it in you. Everyone we kill is just like the guy you were picturing when you laid into those targets."

It did make sense. Yuuri hated that man, hated anyone like him. Looking between the two of them, he sighed softly, "I don't want anyone else to go through what I did."

Seung-gil nodded, "Good. We'll have to test you out."

"The shooting range wasn't a test?" Yuuri was genuinely surprised. After all, Leo had been so enthusiastic about it.

Leo laughed, wrapping an arm around Yuuri's shoulders, pulling him close, "Targets aren't the same as people, Yuuri."

* * *

 **Author Notes** : I went and got the flu and have been sleeping day and night, so I'm sorry this took so long to update/sorry if the quality is a little lower than usual. As always, thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

"Remind me why I had to come into the city with you?" It wasn't that Yuuri wasn't appreciative of a little fresh air. It was nice to be in some new scenery after spending so much time back at the base, but he couldn't really say he was completely comfortable being in the city yet. His only experiences there had been nightmarish. It was hard to want to be in this place.

"The boss teamed us up for your first assignment. We should get to know each other if we want to work well together," The timid boy walking with him through the bustling streets seemed more enthusiastic about being in the city than any of the others back at the base had been, "Besides, you haven't seen much of the city, right? I can give you a tour."

"Do the others not like it here?" Yuuri asked curiously as they passed by what appeared to be a bakery.

"It's not that they don't like it here. Leo, Mila, and Yuri aren't allowed in the city during the day time since their faces are on wanted posters. Mila and Yuri never really leave the base at all. Sara spends her time with her brother when she's not at the base or on a mission. The boss doesn't like to leave the base unless he has to. And as for Chris, well," Guang Hong shrugged, "He works with the police, so he doesn't have a lot of time to wander around the city."

"Wait," Yuuri stopped, turning to Guang Hong and resting his hands on his shoulders, "Chris works with the police?"

"He cleans up. Gets rid of the evidence. Makes sure they're a step behind us. Having someone on the inside makes things a lot easier."

"They really want to get rid of you that badly?"

"Us. You might still have this assignment to get through, but it's just a formality. You're one of us now, Yuuri," Guang Hong smiled, "And as your partner in the upcoming assignment, I promise to protect you with my life."

"That's… not necessary," Yuuri took a step back, letting his hands drop from his shoulders. Guang Hong was sweet. He was always looking out for people, it seemed, but he hadn't expected to be welcomed so freely among these assassins. Though, Yuuri supposed he would have to consider himself an assassin soon enough. Still, he didn't want people risking their lives for him. That was how Phichit died, and Yuuri wouldn't let anyone else die for him.

"Well, hopefully it won't come to it. Leo said you're a great shot, so you probably won't even need my help."

Yuuri was about to speak, to tell Guang Hong that he was grateful for everything they'd been doing for him, but before he had a chance, the wind was knocked out of him as a weight plowed into him, hurling him to the ground.

"Yuuri!? Are you okay?"

Yuuri stared up at the poodle standing over him with wide eyes. The dog was much bigger than Vicchan but looked so similar. Tears stung at his eyes as he was reminded of his beloved dog, of how much he missed his companion, and the fear of not knowing if he was alright. Yuuri hesitantly reached a hand out to pet the dog sitting on top of him. It seemed to be enough to get the poodle to move to the side and let Yuuri sit up.

"Makka, get back here!"

Yuuri heard the voice from the distance, but it didn't register. There was only one sound that mattered. The sound of a familiar yapping in the distance. The poodle that was now sitting beside Yuuri barked in response, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. He didn't want to believe that maybe something good was finally going to happen in this place. The yapping grew louder and suddenly Yuuri saw a much smaller poodle bounding in his direction. Maybe it was a dream. Maybe none of it was real, and Yuuri really wouldn't have been surprised if it was. But there he was. Instinctively, Yuuri held out his arms, letting the little poodle jump onto his lap and wrapping his arms tightly around him, "Vicchan…"

There was a sound of heavy footsteps rapidly rushing towards them, but Yuuri didn't care. He didn't care when he heard them stop and the heavy breathing of someone trying to catch their breath took its place. It didn't matter. None of it mattered, because he had Vicchan back. Vicchan was all he had left after everything that had happened. Yuuri didn't realise how much he'd missed him until he was holding him again, "I thought I'd never see you again…"

Yuuri felt the little poodle in his arms licking at his face and realised he was crying. It was okay. It was okay to cry. He was just so happy. After all this time, it was nice to cry from happiness instead of sadness.

"So this is your owner, huh?" Yuuri was finally broken from his happy bubble by the sound of the voice, hesitantly looking up. The first thing he noticed was the man's smile. So bright, and warm, Yuuri wasn't sure it was possible to be sad when this man was around. He reached out, offering a hand to Yuuri, "Sorry about Makka, he gets a bit excited."

Yuuri held Vicchan close to his chest with one hand, hesitantly taking the offered hand with the other and letting himself be pulled to his feet. Now that he was closer, Yuuri could see silvery hair falling in bright blue eyes. He couldn't find it in himself to move, staring at the man in front of him. A few weeks ago, he would've called it something cliche, some kind of movie moment, but Yuuri wasn't so naive anymore. He looked down, realising he hadn't let go of the man's hand and quickly pulled away, heat rising on his cheeks, "O-Oh um. It's okay."

"You're not from around here, are you?"

Yuuri looked back up into the stranger's eyes, seeing that dazzling smile again and nodded hesitantly, "I just moved here. How'd you know?"

"I know everyone around here, and I've never seen you before." He shrugged, tilting his head and letting his hair fall away from his eyes. Yuuri didn't want to admit how mesmerising the small movement was, "I'm Viktor. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, right. I'm Yuuri. Nice to meet you, too." Yuuri looked down at the poodle in his arms and bit his lip, "So uh, you're the one who found Vicchan?"

Viktor nodded, smiling brightly, "I've been taking him out whenever I get the chance. Just in case he might run into his owner. Looks like it paid off."

"Thank you for taking care of him. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him…" Yuuri held the poodle closer to his chest just to reassure himself that Vicchan was really there, that this was really happening, "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you…"

People usually asked for rewards for finding lost dogs. That's what Yuuri had heard, at least. He'd never really lost Vicchan before. Viktor chuckled, the sound putting Yuuri at ease, "I'll tell you what, Vicchan and Makka have become pretty good friends. If you'd be willing to let them spend time together every once in a while, consider that payment enough."

Yuuri looked down at the dog in his hands, seeing the panting smile on his face. Vicchan immediately acknowledged Yuuri's gaze, lifting his head to lick his cheek. Yuuri smiled fondly as he watched his poodle, still reeling. He really had Vicchan back. It was more than he could possibly have hoped for. To let Vicchan play with another dog every once in a while seemed like nothing in return. He nodded hesitantly, "If you're sure that's enough."

"It's more than enough, really." Viktor frowned as the phone in his pocket rang, sighing dejectedly, "One second." Yuuri could only watch as he answered the phone, holding it to his ear and pulling a pen out of his pocket. He reached out, taking Yuuri's hand and writing on the back of it before Yuuri had a chance to say anything, speaking into the phone at the same time, "I'm on my way… yeah, I know. I just got a little caught up with something... Chris, come on. Five minutes."

Yuuri froze at the mention of the name. Maybe it was a coincidence. Chris wasn't exactly a rare name, after all. There were plenty of them around. Still, Yuuri couldn't help but expect the worst after everything that he'd been through. He watched as Viktor finally hung up, offering him an apologetic smile, "I've gotta go, but call me on that number and we can organise a time for Makka and Vicchan to have a playdate."

Before Yuuri had a chance to respond, the man was rushing back into the crowd, his dog following behind him. Yuuri stared into the distance, watching as Viktor disappeared from view. His voice finally came out in a whisper, "Did… did he say Chris?"

Guang Hong finally stepped forward, "Wow. You just got Detective Nikiforov's phone number."

Yuuri felt his heart sink in his chest, "Detective?"

"He's the one trying to find us. You've gotta be careful with him, Yuuri."

OoOoO

"Can you tell me about this guy again?" Yuuri asked tentatively. He'd spent the day learning about the city with the help of Guang Hong, though his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the detective. He seemed like a nice guy, and that only confused him. If he was such a nice guy, why weren't they doing anything about these people? It didn't make much sense to him. Yuuri had made a note to talk to Chris about it the first chance he got, but he hadn't seen the other man all day.

Guang Hong pulled Yuuri's hood over his head, trying to obscure his face from view, "Walter Langston. Forty six years old. He runs a chain of hotels in a bunch of different towns, but his biggest and most successful is right here in the city."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"He also runs an underground business for human trafficking."

Yuuri felt his stomach tie in knots just at the thought of it. How many lives had been destroyed? How many people had been sent away to be used and disposed of? He bit his lip, looking down at the gun in his hand. He still wasn't sure about this, wasn't sure if he could really kill someone. He never thought he'd have to even consider something so serious before. Taking a shaky breath, he slipped the gun into the concealed holster within his waistband that Leo had given him. It was going to be a long night, and he didn't know what to expect, but everything was telling him he was doing the right thing.

"Here," Guang Hong handed Yuuri an earpiece, slipping one into his own ear, "You're gonna need it."

"What for?" Yuuri put in the earpiece and was immediately met by a familiar, grumpy voice.

 _"Alright, Katsuki. You want to survive this? You have to listen to everything I tell you. Got it?"_

"...Yuri?"

"He can't hear you." Guang Hong smiled, grabbing Yuuri's arm and pulling him into the bushes nearby, "He'll be able to see you through the security cameras when we get inside. If they have microphones built in, then he'll be able to hear you. Judging by the look of this place, we might be in luck there."

Looking through the bushes, Yuuri could see what he meant. The place wasn't as big as the one he and Phichit had been led to, but it was just as fancy. It seemed to have two floors, a balcony, and a lavish garden. Yuuri didn't miss the two guards by the front door, either. It wouldn't be simple to get inside. Not without making their presence known, at least.

 _"There's a balcony on the back of the house. That's your entry point. The motion activated lights are down and I've got the cameras playing a loop of nothing right now, so you're good to go."_

"You ready to go?" Guang Hong pulled a knife out of his pocket, holding it up to watch it shine in the moonlight, "Once we start moving, there's no backing out."

Yuuri really wasn't sure. He had never done anything like this before. He wouldn't have even believed things like this really happened a few weeks before. Knowing that this man was, knowing what he had done to people, what he'd continue to do to people, it was the only thing that told Yuuri this was right. He nodded hesitantly in response to Guang Hong, earning one of the brunet's bright smiles. Before Yuuri could say anything, Guang Hong was stepping out of their hiding spot, reaching out for the fence in front of them and making quick work of climbing over it. Anyone would think he'd done it a thousand times before. Maybe he had. Once he was on the other side, Guang Hong was watching Yuuri expectantly.

"Watch over me, Phichit…" Yuuri whispered to himself, taking a shaky breath as he followed him. It had been a while since his injuries now. Yuuri wasn't completely healed, but it was enough that climbing a fence wouldn't be too difficult. His dancing lessons came in handy, helping with his flexibility. Yuuri was soon on the other side of the fence beside Guang Hong, his heart pounding with a mix of adrenaline and fear.

Yuuri expected there to be a rush to the balcony, but Guang Hong moved slowly, keeping every step as silent as possible. As much as Yuri had protected them from the security, he hadn't been able to do anything about the guards at the front of the house. They had to move quietly to avoid alerting them to their presence. As much as this was his test, Yuuri found himself watching Guang Hong, letting him take the lead. He was uncertain of what he should do, and didn't want to risk jeopardising things for him. After all, their lives were in each other's hands. Yuuri wouldn't lose anyone else.

Guang Hong pulled a second knife out of his pocket. This one had a hole in the handle with a rope attached to it. He got a good grip of the knife, looking up at the balcony they were attempting to reach. After a few moments of silence, he threw the blade with more force than Yuuri had expected, piercing the wall beside the balcony with a quiet thud. He wasted no time, tugging gently on the end of the rope to ensure it's safety before using it to climb up to the balcony. Once Guang Hong had made it to their destination, he tossed the rope back down for Yuuri. He was starting to see what he meant; there was no turning back. They were already in danger just being there. Now that they'd gotten this far, they had to keep going. Taking the rope, Yuuri carefully climbed to the balcony, uncertain of what they were meant to do now. This was as far as Yuri had instructed. Now it just felt like they were alone.

It was as that thought came to him that the familiar voice returned, "There are two people in the room ahead. One is the target, the other is one of his...products. Whatever you do, keep her alive."

Yuuri and Guang Hong both carefully peered into the window, seeing the back of the man who was no doubt their target. He seemed to be talking to someone, though they couldn't see who it was.

 _"Once Katsuki shoots, the guards are going to know you're in there, so Guang Hong, you need to be downstairs, ready to deal with them. That means Katsuki has to do this on his own. If you understand, gimme a sign."_

Yuuri didn't know what the plan would be exactly, but he hadn't expected it to all rely on him. Maybe it was his test, but he didn't think they'd lay Guang Hong's life in his hands. It wasn't just him. That girl was in there, too. There was so much pressure, and Yuuri had never even hurt anyone before. He looked over at his partner, seeing him hold a thumb up to tell Yuri he understood, but he wasn't sure if he was ready. Looking back in the window, he watched the man, seeing him still talking to who he assumed was the girl. Did he really have what it took to kill him? Would he really be able to do this?

Just as the uncertainty crossed his mind, he saw the man raise his hand, swiftly moving it back and sending a loud smack through the room as he hit the girl. Yuuri finally caught sight of her as she fell to the floor, tears in her eyes and a fresh red mark against her cheek. Seeing the fear in her eyes, remembering the fear in Phichit's, Yuuri gritted his teeth, holding his own thumb up to signal to Yuri that he was ready.

 _"Good. Move quietly if you want to catch him off guard. Don't let us down, new guy."_

Guang Hong stepped forward, carefully pressing his hand to the door and opening it as silently as he could. There was a slight sound as it slid open, but it seemed to be drowned out by the man yelling at the woman now on the ground, holding her cheek. Once the door was open enough, Guang Hong gestured for Yuuri to step in. It felt like instinct. Now that he'd seen him hurt her, seen her fear, seen what this man was really like, and knew that this wouldn't be the first or last time he'd do this, Yuuri didn't feel any hesitation. He carefully stepped into the room, reaching for the gun concealed at his waist and watching as Guang Hong cautiously slipped into the next room. Yuuri hadn't yet stepped into the open, waiting for the right opportunity, waiting for Guang Hong to have a chance to prepare. All he could do was listen as the man yelled at the woman. She wasn't pretty enough, wasn't selling for a high enough price, wasn't trying hard enough. That was the gist of what Yuuri was hearing. It only served as fuel for Yuuri, telling him that this had to end.

 _"Now, Yuuri."_

Listening to the voice in his ear, Yuuri stepped out of the shadows, pulling the gun from his waist and pulling back the slide to load it. He held the gun to the back of the man's head, speaking softly, "I'm sorry."

Yuuri wasn't a bad person. Not like the people they killed. The people they targeted seemed to go out of their way to cause pain, to torture people. Yuuri wouldn't let himself be like that. He had told himself that headshots were the only acceptable way to do this. Headshots would minimise the pain, would make their death swift. No one deserved to be tortured, not even the monsters they were removing from the world. It made sense to Yuuri. Before the man had a chance to react, Yuuri pulled the trigger, the loud sound of the shot ringing through the room, blood shooting against the floor and nearby walls. Just as quickly as the shot rang out, the room was filled with silence. As the man's lifeless body fell to the floor, Yuuri let out a shaky breath, seeing the stunned look on the woman's face.

Adrenaline was still moving Yuuri, the realisation of what he'd just done not yet sinking in. Instead, he held his arms out in surrender, trying to convey to the woman that she was safe, "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." He knelt down in front of her, resting a hand on her cheek in an attempt to see if she was alright, "Don't move, okay? We'll get you out of here."

The tears began to fall down her cheeks once more, but before Yuuri could think of a way to make things better, she was reaching for his hand, "Thank you."

Yuuri smiled, pulling his hand away, "Just stay here and stay alive."

He wanted to stay with the woman, to make sure she would be alright, but he knew Guang Hong had two people to deal with, and he couldn't just leave him to do it on his own even if he was more experienced at this. Yuuri moved quickly. He made it halfway down the stairs before he caught sight of him, his knife pierced deep into one of the guard's throats. Blood stained Guang Hong's sleeve, but he didn't seem to notice, focusing on the man he was holding against the wall, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to fight back. The only problem was that there was still another guard, and Guang Hong's focus was on the one in front of him.

Yuuri could see the other moving behind him, preparing to attack. Without thinking, he pulled his gun out, taking aim and firing at the man. It seemed to be enough to get Guang Hong's attention. He looked behind him, seeing the second guard fall to the ground, lifeless, "Nice shooting."

"Nice… stabbing?"

The other man laughed, pulling his knife from the guard's neck and letting him fall to the ground, "Is she okay?"

"She's shaken up, but okay." Yuuri nodded.

 _"Tell her to get out of there. Chris is on his way to clean up. Time for you guys to head back to base."_

"You can hear us?" Yuuri looked around the room as if he'd find an answer.

 _"The cameras in here are state of the art, lucky you. Now, get the hell out of there. Chris can explain himself out of being found there. You guys can't. Move it."_

"Right." Guang Hong wiped his knife on a cleaner part of his sleeve, slipping it back in his pocket, "Let's get going."

 _"And Katsuki. Not bad for your first assignment. Don't let it go to your head."_

* * *

 **Author Notes** : Nothing brings friends together like murder :'D


	7. Chapter 7

"Why was I called to this crime scene?" Viktor asked curiously as he looked over the two bodies at the bottom of the stairs, searching for clues despite his frustration.

"There's only one group of killers that we know of in the city. That's your area of expertise." Chris shrugged as he watched Viktor curiously.

It wasn't that he didn't want to do his job. It was simply that this particular crime scene didn't feel like any of the other ones he'd been sent to. Every other time he'd been to a crime scene for the sake of the investigation of this group of assassins, the deaths were different. It was so much messier than this. The stab victim's wounds were somewhat familiar, but normally he'd see several wounds in the gun victims. This wasn't the same. There were single bullet wounds to the head. Viktor couldn't quite believe that these bodies came from their assassins. They were right, though. There was only one group of killers in the city, and Viktor really didn't want to think about the possibility of more appearing.

There was only one reason Viktor could think for the cause of death to change like that, and it wasn't a thought he wanted to humor. Sighing softly, he stood up straight, looking to Chris, "We'll have to wait for the pathologist to confirm the bullets match our other cases. Just to be sure."

Chris nodded, stepping further into the room and standing above the body closest to the door, "Maybe we're not looking in the right places."

Viktor frowned, "What do you mean?"

"We're always looking for the people. Maybe we should be trying to understand why these are the victims."

Looking down at the body, Viktor really couldn't deny that it was something he'd thought about. The only problem was that every time he tried to dig a little deeper, to try to find some kind of connection to the victims, he'd hit a wall. His authority wasn't high enough, or there simply wasn't anything there. It was obvious that there was something that connected them, something that was being shielded from him, but he couldn't figure out how to get to it. Viktor sighed dejectedly, stepping out of the room and tugging off his gloves, Chris in tow, "If I could find some answers that way, you know I'd try."

Chris nodded thoughtfully, wrapping an arm around Viktor's shoulders, "Maybe you should take a break. You've been working on this case nonstop for days now. Go home. Spend some time with Makkachin."

"And leave all the fun to you?" Viktor smiled, grateful to have a friend who seemed to care as much as Chris did.

"That's what I'm here for. Go home."

OoOoO

"I'm sorry if I let you down, Phichit. I know it's wrong… but I won't do this forever. Just until we're able to fix this city. I don't want anyone else to go through what you did. You get that, right?" Yuuri watched as Vicchan rested against his leg, making himself comfortable beside Phichit's grave. It had been a few days since his first assignment, but it was burned into his mind, the realisation that he'd killed. Two people weren't in the world anymore because of him. Yuuri told himself it was for the sake of everyone, that he had to do it to help the people in the city, but he couldn't ignore the pang in his chest, the feeling of guilt. Part of him wondered what Phichit would think of him.

Yuuri brushed a hand through Vicchan's fur, "Seung-gil said there's someone at the top. Someone who pulls all the strings. All the bad people in the city pay them to get away with what they do. All we have to do is find them. Once they're gone, it's all over. Then, I'll never hurt anyone else. I'll go back to dancing, just like you wanted me to. This is just… a bad dream. It'll be over soon." He wanted to believe it. He wanted to believe this would be over quickly, but he didn't know how long they'd been trying to get to the one at the top. He had no idea how difficult it was going to be.

Searching for a positive, Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up, his eyes to the ground as he finally spoke again, "I met a nice guy the other day. He was the one taking care of Vicchan. I told him we could get Vicchan and his dog to spend some more time together. I bet you'd really like him. Maybe. I guess I don't really know that much about him. He was nice to Vicchan, so he can't be that bad, right?" Looking back to the grave, Yuuri sighed softly, "I should call him, shouldn't I? If you were here, you probably would've stolen my phone and called him for me by now..."

He knew he should be careful, that getting close to the detective would be dangerous. But Chris worked with him. Maybe being close to him would make Yuuri less suspicious. Besides, ignoring the number that had been given to him would be more strange, wouldn't it? Maybe Yuuri was overthinking it. He looked down at the dog in his lap, biting his lip, "Maybe it would be good to feel normal for a little while."

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Yuuri scrolled through his contacts, hovering over Viktor's number. He hadn't bothered to contact him yet. Guang Hong's words of caution had stuck with him. Viktor was the detective in charge of finding them, and Yuuri was new to this life. He was afraid more than anything of putting their lives in danger. He didn't care if Viktor found out about him. That didn't matter. But if the others were found out because of him, he'd never forgive himself. And yet, Yuuri hadn't stopped thinking about it, about those piercing blue eyes and that heart stopping smile. If he was honest with himself, he wanted to see Viktor again. He just didn't know why.

Yuuri knew that Phichit would've pushed him to call by now, that he would've seen Viktor already if his best friend was there to help him. Sighing softly, he hesitantly pressed the call button, "Alright, fine…"

As the dial tone rang, Yuuri felt more and more anxious. Maybe Viktor would be busy. That would make sense. Detectives had a lot to do, especially with a bunch of assassins running around the city. He was part of the problem. Yuuri knew he was, and he couldn't stop himself feeling a little guilty, knowing he was no doubt making Viktor's life more difficult. It was just as he was about to give up that he heard an answer on the other end, "Detective Nikiforov."

Yuuri's heart raced as he realised he would have to talk. Maybe texting would've been a smarter idea. Taking a shaky breath to compose himself, Yuuri closed his eyes, trying to focus on his words, "Um hi. It's uh… it's Yuuri. You know, the guy with the runaway dog?"

He cringed, realising how awkward he sounded and imagining Phichit beside him, laughing at him. There was a rustling of paper on the other end before he heard Viktor speaking again, "Oh, Yuuri! I wasn't expecting to hear from you."

"Right. Sorry, life got kinda crazy, I guess." Yuuri ran a hand through Vicchan's fur, trying to calm his nerves, "I still owe you for looking after Vicchan, so I thought I'd call. You're probably really busy, through. Sorry, I can call you some other time…"

"No!" Viktor's voice sounded almost desperate as he rushed to respond, catching Yuuri off guard, "I mean, no, I'm not busy. It'd be nice to see you again. Both of you!"

Yuuri smiled to himself as he listened to Viktor stumble over his words. At least he knew he wasn't the only nervous one, "Maybe I could get you a coffee? It's the least I could do after everything. And then Vicchan and Makka could play at the park or something."

"You don't have to buy me anything, Yuuri. It's fine, really. Vicchan was an angel."

"I know, I just-"

"Oi, Katsuki!" Yuuri looked up at the sound of the grumpy blond's voice, panic starting to sink in.

"Who's that?"

"Nobody!" Yuuri's voice was higher than he expected, jumping to his feet and waving a hand at Yuri in the hopes of making him stop, "I've gotta go, but I'll meet you in half an hour okay?" Before Viktor could respond, Yuuri hung up, slipping the phone into his pocket.

"Who was that?"

It didn't matter how much time he'd spent there, Yuri still unnerved him, "No one."

"You know I can hack your phone and find out for myself if I want to." Yuri pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest. After a moment, he shook his head, "I don't care. Come with me."

"What for?"

"I said come with me. Hurry up."

Following Yuri back inside with Vicchan in tow, Yuuri wrung his fingers together nervously, "Is this going to take long? I have somewhere to be…"

"Did we say you could leave on your own yet?"

Yuuri bit his lip, realising that he hadn't actually gotten the okay from Seung-gil yet. Technically, he still had to be escorted if he wanted to go into the city, "I um… I did what you asked of me. Just one day to myself should be fine, right?"

"Relax and get inside." Yuri opened a nearby door, gesturing for Yuuri to go in.

It was a room Yuuri had never been inside before, though he'd passed it plenty of times. Stepping inside, he saw an array of different screens, all showing different sections of the base. There was one screen off to the left that was blank. What it was for, he had no idea. There were circuit boards and wires scattered all over the place along with a desk filled with paperwork. In the corner of the room was a small bed.

"Is… this your room?"

"Doesn't matter. Sit down, this'll only take a second."

Yuuri didn't feel like he had much of an option to deny Yuri. Sometimes it felt like Yuri was as much the boss as Seung-gil was. Yuuri could only watch as the young boy went through his drawers, pulling out a needle and turning to Yuuri with an intimidating smile. "Wait. What are you doing?"

"If you want to leave this place without a babysitter, you have to let me do this." Yuri moved closer, holding a small chip in his hand and showing it to Yuuri, "This will monitor where you are at all times. If anything bad happens to you, we'll be able to find you. If people start learning things about us that they shouldn't, I can look through your movements and see if you're a rat."

Looking from the small chip to the needle in Yuri's other hand, he chewed his lip nervously, "This is the only way I can leave?"

"If you want privacy." Yuri confirmed, sitting beside him, "Now give me your hand. You're wasting my time."

"Oh. Okay." Yuuri looked down at his hand before hesitantly offering it to him. He could only watch as Yuri carefully set up his equipment. It was surprisingly scary. After all the injuries he'd had, this one little thing was sending a feeling of unease through him. Yuri seemed to know what he was doing.

He had put on gloves before Yuuri even realised it, setting everything up and gently pressing the tip of the needle between Yuuri's thumb and forefinger, "It's just like getting a piercing. No big deal."

Yuuri had never had a piercing in his life. He had no idea what that was supposed to feel like or if that was meant to be reassuring, but before he could voice his concerns, the needle was being stabbed into his hand, causing a small sharp pain, "Hey!"

"Don't be a baby. You've had much worse." Yuri scoffed, taking a small plaster and placing it over the spot. Finally, he let go of Yuuri's hand, "There. Congratulations, you're officially one of us."

Yuuri looked down at his hand, carefully moving his thumb. There was a dull ache, but other than that, it felt exactly the same, "Thanks?"

"It'll heal in no time. Then it'll be like it's not even there."

It felt just like getting an injection. There was a slight pain, but it was quickly fading away. Yuuri thought maybe he'd feel something sitting under his skin, but he didn't. It was too small for him to feel it. Yuri was right, it was like it wasn't even there. He looked up at the blond, "So… I can go where I want now?"

"Do whatever you want, but if you get any of us in trouble, I'll know about it." Yuri shrugged, turning back to his wall of screens, sitting at the chair in front of it and typing away at the keyboard, "Now, get out."

OoOoO

Staring at his phone, Yuuri realised he hadn't actually told Viktor where to meet him in the city. He hadn't thought that far ahead. Not that he really knew that much about the city in the first place. There was uncertainty to his steps as he walked towards the spot he'd met Viktor, Vicchan running around his legs with each step. Minutes passed as Yuuri walked around the area, checking the time and realising he was going to be late if he didn't find Viktor soon. He was about to give in and call him when he heard barking in the distance. He looked up to see the familiar poodle rushing towards him, smiling fondly when he caught sight of the man rushing after him. As the poodle stopped in front of him, Yuuri knelt down to rub behind his ears, "Did you bring Viktor to me?" He tilted his head, chuckling as the dog's tongue hung from the side of his mouth, "Good boy."

Yuuri looked up as Viktor stepped closer, out of breath from chasing his furry friend, "We… really need… to stop meeting like this…"

Yuuri laughed, standing up straight, "Sorry, I should've figured out somewhere for us to meet."

Viktor waved his hand dismissively, "It's fine, you sounded busy. I'm just glad you called."

There was already a feeling of normalcy that came with talking to Viktor, a feeling Yuuri had been missing. He looked down at the two poodles sitting at his feet, hesitantly looking back at Viktor after a moment, "I'm gonna need your help finding a good place for coffee. I'm still learning my way around."

"I told you not to bother."

Yuuri shook his head, "If the dogs get to have fun, we might as well get something out of it. Besides, It'd feel wrong if I didn't do anything to thank you."

Viktor sighed, "Well, I guess I wouldn't want you worrying about something like that." He stepped forward, pointing to a shop nearby, "There's a place just down the way. Best coffee in the city."

"Lead the way."

Once they'd gotten their coffee, Yuuri found himself led to the park nearby, watching as the dogs rushed off ahead to play with each other. At least they were having fun, but Yuuri wasn't so good at talking to people. He wanted so badly to not mess this up. Viktor was the first normal person he'd met since he went to the city. If Phichit was there, maybe he'd be able to help him, but Yuuri was on his own. It was as the thoughts of his best friend came to mind that Viktor spoke up, breaking him from them, "So, what brings you to the capitol? People always have a reason. You don't strike me was the type searching for fame and fortune."

Yuuri rolled his eyes, smiling fondly, "That wasn't my plan, no. I just wanted to get a job and live my life." He shrugged, sitting down on a nearby park bench, Viktor following his lead, "My… my friend said that this would be the best place to do it, so we came here."

"You're here with a friend?" Viktor asked curiously.

Yuuri didn't want to lie. He hated that he had to hide things about himself, already feeling like a criminal. But he supposed that's what he was. There was nothing that could change that now. "We um… we got separated. I haven't seen him since I arrived."

"What's his name? I'm sure I could help you find him."

"No!" Heat rose on Yuuri's cheeks as he realised how sudden his outburst was, "I-I mean… that'd just be embarrassing. I'm sure we'll find each other eventually."

"Okay…" Viktor didn't seem completely at peace with the response, but didn't push it, instead keeping on track with his questions, "So, what do you do then? Must be something special to come here."

Yuuri watched as the poodles explored the park together, "Oh um. I dance. I thought maybe I could entertain people, or maybe even teach one day." It wasn't farfetched. Yuuri had thought about how much fun he'd had; learning everything he knew about dancing. He'd considered teaching, being able to bring others that same happiness. But Yuuri knew he still had so much more to learn himself. He wasn't ready to teach yet.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he wasn't expecting the excited response he received, "That's amazing! Can you teach me something!?"

Yuuri practically choked on his coffee at the request, spluttering as he sat upright, pressing a hand to his mouth as he realised just how much he was embarrassing himself with each passing second. Of all the things he could've expected Viktor to ask, that wasn't one of them. Yuuri looked to the floor, "I don't know…"

"Oh, right," Viktor smirked, "I guess that's more of a second date kinda thing."

Yuuri had just taken another sip of his coffee when Viktor said those words, choking on the drink once again, this time earning a coughing fit. When he was finally able to speak, his voice was raspy, "D-Date?"

"I'm sorry! That was a joke," Viktor rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly, "But I really would love it if you taught me some dance moves sometime. Sounds like fun."

"I'm not that good, I'm sure there are better teachers around." Yuuri couldn't stop blushing, staring down at the cup in his hand.

"Hm…" Viktor pressed his finger to his lips as he thought, "I've got it!" He turned to Yuuri, a bright, beaming smile on display, "You wanted to do something to repay me, right? So teach me to dance!"

"I thought the coffee was me repaying you." He pointed out, holding up his cup.

"Then I'll just have to get you a coffee next time. That way you'll still owe me." Viktor offered him a wink, his bright smile never wavering.

Normally Yuuri would insist not to do something like that. He'd tell Viktor that it was a crazy idea, that he just wasn't good enough to do something like that, but it was different. Viktor's smile was so sweet, so heartwarming. He didn't know how anyone could possibly say no to him. Yuuri bit his lip, nodding hesitantly, "Okay, I guess…"

Seeing how excited Viktor was when he agreed, Yuuri knew he'd made the right decision. No matter how nervous or awkward he got, he couldn't possibly say no to someone who seemed as excited as a puppy when he got what he wanted. He could already tell he was going to be putty in Viktor's hands, and for some reason, he really didn't mind. Feeling a vibration in his pocket, Yuuri frowned, pulling his phone out and unlocking it to see the message left behind from Yuri.

Emergency. Get back to base. NOW.

Yuuri sighed sadly. He just wanted to be normal, now more than ever. Looking up from his phone, he saw Viktor watching him curiously, "I know that look. That's the 'I have to go but I don't want to' look. I wear that look every day when Chris drags me to another case."

Yuuri nodded hesitantly, "Can we uh… can we raincheck the dancing lessons?"

"Of course. Is everything okay?"

"Totally fine, just a moody teenager won't leave me alone." Yuuri chuckled. It definitely wasn't a lie, not this time. He wanted to stay, to spend more time being normal, but he knew Yuri would hunt him down if he didn't head back. Sighing softly, he got to his feet, "Call me, okay? Whenever you're free and you want those lessons."

He whistled for Vicchan, watching as the dog rushed back to him, circling his feet. It was as Yuuri was walking out of the park that he sent a message back to Yuri, asking what was going on. The response he got was enough to make his heart sink.

They've got Leo.

* * *

 **Author Notes** : This is the result of an intense lack of sleep... but at least we're here! Thank you so much for being patient waiting for this chapter, the next one should come along faster.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Notes:** OH MY GOD IT'S BACK! Sorry this has gone quiet for so long, guys. I'll be trying to get things for this story up much more frequently from now on. Lots is planned, things are getting interesting, and I'm very excited! Enjoy!

* * *

"What do you mean, they got Leo?" Yuuri asked, his voice a blend of confusion and fear. He couldn't lose anyone else, couldn't afford to feel that loss again. He hadn't known Leo long, but he knew enough. Leo was a good person, someone they needed to protect.

He'd never seen them all together in one room before. They were usually in different parts of the base, doing their own things. Even when they were talking about targets, it was just those who were going on the job that were involved, but this time, they were all there. All, except Leo. Yuuri's stomach twisted in knots at the mere thought of it. Where was he? Why had they lost him? It didn't make any sense, Leo was normally so careful.

Yuri leaned over a laptop that he'd placed on the table, his fingers frantically typing at the keyboard as he spoke, "Leo was on a job. He went out to talk to a potential client about a target. You know, we have to hear the reason to target them before we make any decisions," He looked up at Yuuri, explaining mostly for his sake, "He was expected to get back to us three hours ago, but we still haven't heard anything from him."

"But that doesn't mean anything. He might be fine, maybe he just lost track of time." Guang Hong spoke up, though his voice remained soft, shaky, his eyes filled with tears. Yuuri figured he was close to Leo, but he'd never seen Guang Hong look so desperate for good news.

"And that's why I checked his tracker," Yuri continued, pressing a button on his laptop and turning it for the others to see. It was hard to tell exactly what they were looking at. All Yuuri could really see of importance was the small green dot in the centre of the screen, "That's Leo. That's his current location. And that," Pressing another button, the screen zoomed out to make the location clearer, "Is the police station at the edge of town."

"The interrogation room, to be exact," Chris chimed in, "If they did get him, they aren't going to hurt him yet. They need to get information out of him first."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner!?" Guang Hong glared, stepping forward.

"You think I knew? This is Nikiforov's case, not mine. He gets priority on this kinda information," Chris frowned, looking back at the computer screen, "The good news is, the first person who'll be talking to him will be Viktor. That means he's safe."

"How can you be so sure?" The tears were now freely falling, Guang Hong's fists clenched tightly at his sides.

Yuuri hesitantly moved closer, resting a hand on Guang Hong's shoulder, trying to comfort him. There was so much tension in the room, but he knew that fighting was only going to make this worse. They had to get through this together. The more they were at each other's throats, the harder it would be to get Leo back safely. Yuuri pulled Guang Hong to his side, speaking softly, "Chris is right. Viktor's not going to hurt him."

If there was one thing Yuuri was certain of, it was Viktor's gentle nature. He'd taken in a dog from the streets and looked after it. He smiled so sweetly, so much kindness in his blue eyes. Viktor wasn't going to hurt anyone, that much he knew. As long as Viktor would be the first one to talk to Leo, they had time to come up with a plan to get him back.

Guang Hong sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes, "What's the plan?"

OoOoO

"You're making this more difficult than it needs to be," Viktor stared into the eyes of Leo de la Iglesia; fugitive, murderer. He leaned forward in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest, "I can help you here, but you need to work with me. Just tell me who you're working for."

Leo smirked, leaning back in his seat, his eyes glancing over to the security camera in the corner of the room, "I don't know what you're talking about, sir."

"Don't play dumb," Viktor sighed, standing up and pacing around the room, trying to figure out the best course of action. They had Leo. It was a start. It meant they would be able to use this to find the others. Even if they didn't get any information out of Leo, he was sure the others wouldn't leave him there… would they? He didn't know who they were. Maybe it was possible for them to just leave Leo to be punished; sacrifice one for the sake of the others. Leo didn't look concerned, though. Maybe he was just at peace with it. Viktor didn't know. He didn't know anything about this group and it was driving him crazy.

"Look, you can do whatever you want to me, but I'm not telling you anything. You might as well just kill me."

Viktor looked over to Leo, seeing him staring at the camera, "No one's going to hurt you. You're going to go through the same punishment as any other criminal."

Leo looked back at Viktor, his gaze intense as he spoke, "I wasn't talking to you."

OoOoO

"This is suicide," Yuri grumbled, closing his laptop as he turned back to the group, "You know it is."

"We can't just leave him," Chris shrugged, offering a smile, "We can handle this. Don't you have any faith in us, tiger?"

"Don't call me that."

"Sara, Yuuri. I want you two on this job. Sara's stealth will be imperative," Seung-gil spoke, his authority shining through as he stepped forward, "Chris will assist you."

"What about me!?" Guang Hong's eyes were red from his tears, frustration clear in his voice as it cracked, "I have to help him, boss. I have to be there."

"No. You're too emotional for this," Moving closer, Seung-gil rested a hand on Guang Hong's shoulder, "I know Leo's important to you, but the way you are now, you'll get the others killed. Stay here. Leo would want you safe anyway."

"But… I can't do nothing…" Guang Hong's voice was filled with defeat as he stared at the floor. It was obvious he just wanted to help, just wanted to be there to know that Leo was okay, but it wasn't that simple. As much as Yuuri wanted to bring him with them, he knew Seung-gil was right. It was too dangerous. Guang Hong's emotions were too high right now, they couldn't focus on protecting him and getting Leo back. It was too risky.

Moving closer, Yuuri made sure Guang Hong was looking into his eyes, speaking with sincerity, "I promise you I will bring him back safely. Nothing will happen to him."

OoOoO

Viktor looked to the camera, then to Leo, then back again. Who was he talking to? He would've assumed maybe the people he worked with, but Leo wouldn't be telling them to kill him, so who? There were plenty of people working in the precinct, but Viktor had the highest clearance when it came to this case. Running a hand through silver hair, Viktor stepped closer, kneeling to Leo's level and speaking softly, "You're going to need to give me some answers here."

Leo nodded to himself, glancing around the room as he spoke, "I know _you_ won't hurt me, detective. But that doesn't mean I'm safe here. You'll come back here in the morning and find out that someone 'had to kill me,' that I was trying to escape, or something. I won't survive the night, but it won't be your fault."

Viktor frowned, trying to understand. There was no one in the precinct who wanted to kill Leo, not that he knew of. His mind kept playing through the snippets of information he'd been given over the last few weeks. Chris telling him to look at why the victims were chosen, the walls he'd hit so many times when he tried to do that research. He didn't know. He didn't understand. Leo knew things, but he wasn't giving it away, not easily. Still, it was clear he wanted to, clear he was trying to give Viktor information. Leo kept glancing to the camera, and Viktor knew; Leo was trying to give him what he wanted without anyone else finding out. Viktor nodded hesitantly, looking back to the man sitting in front of him, speaking gently, "What do you want me to know?"

Leo moved closer, whispering against Viktor's ear, his words sending a chill down the detective's spine, "We're not the bad guys. You are."

OoOoO

It was several hours before they were ready for the mission. Yuuri could only sit and wait as the others prepared. There wasn't much he could do. Yuuri wasn't exactly good for these kinds of missions, at least that's what he thought. He shot to kill. Headshots were what he was good at, but this was different. They didn't want to kill anyone at the precinct. Despite the fact that they were being hunted by those people, they weren't the bad ones. The higher ups were the problem, and Yuuri had no intention of killing someone who didn't deserve to die. Instead, Yuuri was preparing himself to aim for parts of the body that wouldn't be fatal. Still, Chris had assured him that he was a last resort, that they had no intention of hurting anyone. Yuuri was simply there to ensure they got out safely.

Chris had been talking to Sara and Yuri the entire time they were preparing, and Yuuri hadn't the faintest clue what he'd been planning. There was no point in asking. They all seemed so busy and Yuuri was scared he'd only slow things down. They didn't have time for questions. Every second that Leo was there was a second closer to complications. The sooner they got this done, the better.

Eventually the plan was set. Yuuri and Sara had slipped on as many layers as they could comfortably manage, attempting to obscure their identity. Yuuri's gloved fingers shook as he thought about the mission, knowing that there was more to this than just saving Leo. This was Viktor's territory. If Viktor saw him and realised who he was, it would be all over. Maybe meeting up had been a bad idea. Maybe he should've just stayed away and let Viktor forget about him. But the thought of Viktor forgetting about him set a whole new wave of pain through him, the thought that he was just another face in the crowd to this man who was so filled with kindness, the one thing that had made him feel normal since he'd come to the Capitol. Yuuri didn't want to think about never having met Viktor. Maybe it made this more difficult, but it would always be worth it.

Yuuri leaned against the wall in the dark alley outside the precinct, Sara beside him as they waited. They wouldn't have to wait long, that's what Chris had promised. The only part of the plan he'd been let in on was Chris' role. He had gotten some chemicals from Sara, mixed it into a bottle of wine, and had the intention of making a toast with those still inside; a toast to the successful capture of Leo de la Iglesia. There was something ironic about it, knowing that it was all going to end with them taking Leo back.

"What happens after this?" Yuuri asked curiously, hoping to get some answers. It wasn't exactly good for him to be left out of the plan.

Sara smile, leaning her shoulder against Yuuri's, "I know you think we have a plan, but we don't. Not really. Once Chris puts them to sleep, we go in, get Leo, and get out."

Yuuri nodded hesitantly, "What about Chris? He's not disguised. Won't people know it was him?"

"I'm guessing that's what he was talking to Yuri about. Maybe Yuri's going to delete the CCTV footage and then Chris can just pretend he was knocked out, too." Sara shrugged.

It wasn't the best plan, but it was all they had under such short notice. It was risky, there were so many things that could go wrong, but they didn't have time to think about it. They just had to get in and get out. If they were seen, it was just collateral damage. So long as they all made it out alive, they could think about everything else later.

The door to the alleyway opened and Yuuri jumped, looking behind them to see Chris gesturing for them to get inside, "We need to move fast."

"Why, what's going on?" Yuuri followed Sara inside, his stomach churning with nerves, knowing that he was exactly where the police wanted them to be, that this was what they'd been avoiding.

"Viktor's car's out front. He's in the building, I just don't know where. We have to do this quickly." Chris' voice had never been so serious before. Normally he was so sure of himself, so easy to crack jokes, to flirt, to make light of the situation. Yuuri had never seen him like this before and it only served to fuel the anxiety within him.

They had to move fast. That was the thought that continued to swim through Yuuri's mind as they followed Chris into the precinct, letting him lead them to the room they'd been keeping Leo locked up in. It was strange; how quiet the building was. Yuuri had expected phones ringing, chatter, something. As they moved through the building, it made sense. Chris had managed to put everyone to sleep, some crumpled over their desks, others laying on the floor, but it was obvious that they were all breathing, their steady breaths causing their chests to rise and fall. Yuuri was more relieved to find a room full of sleeping people than anything else. There was still a fear deep down that maybe they would just kill them all. He wanted to believe he was working with the right people. If he had walked into a room of dead bodies, Yuuri wasn't sure what he would've done.

Opening a door, Chris gestured for them to go inside. The room was small, but well lit. The only thing they could see within was a table in the centre of the room, Leo sitting with his hands cuffed to it. Leo looked up at them, smiling, "Took you guys long enough."

"I don't have the keys, think you can handle it?" Chris looked between Leo and Sara, then back to Yuuri and offering him a reassuring smile. It always seemed to be this way. Chris was always trying to reassure Yuuri, to tell him that things were going to be okay. It was just that this one time, he wasn't so sure they would. There was so much on the line.

Pulling a bobby pin from her hair, Sara stepped forward, "No problem, just guard the door."

Chris nodded, turning to Yuuri, "I'll be standing outside just in case. You stay by the door and keep an ear out. I might need you," Yuuri nodded hesitantly, reaching for the gun at his side. He didn't want to have to shoot anyone, but he knew that he had to protect Chris, had to protect all of them. It was hard to believe that his life had taken this kind of turn. He wanted to be normal, but now he was a criminal. It couldn't be denied. Chris moved closer, resting a hand on Yuuri's shoulder, "Hey, relax. We'll be fine. We've gotten out of worse situations than this before."

Yuuri could only watch as Chris stepped out of the room, leaning against the door and listening closely. He kept telling himself that this was in his hands, that if anything was to happen, he had to help Chris get out of there. Sara could handle Leo, he had to help Chris. It was the only thing that made sense to him. Sara wouldn't take long with the cuffs. They'd be able to leave soon and then all of this could be over.

" _Viktor! What are you doing here so late?"_ Yuuri could hear Chris' voice through the door and his whole body tensed. Viktor was there. He was right there. At any moment, everything could go wrong.

 _"Keeping an eye on our new suspect. What're you doing here?_ " There was a pause, " _Where'd everyone else go? It's never this quiet around here."_

Yuuri chewed his lip nervously, his hand inching towards his gun. He didn't want to do anything, didn't want to hurt Viktor. He had made a promise to protect his friends, but Viktor was a good person, he couldn't hurt him, could he? Hesitantly, Yuuri pulled the gun from his side, holding it close, prepared for the worst. He couldn't let anything happen to the others, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to actually harm Viktor.

" _Everyone went home. So should you, you've been working too hard."_

There was a soft chuckle, and Yuuri knew immediately that it was Viktor, a soft, friendly sound that he'd quickly grown fond of, " _Thanks, but there are some things I need to look into before I head home._ "

Yuuri glanced over his shoulder when he heard the click of Leo's cuffs unlocking, a loud clattering sound as they hit the table. Yuuri flinched, turning back to the door as he heard Viktor speak once more, " _What was that?_ "

" _I'm sure it was just Leo fighting with his cuffs, nothing unusual_ ," Chris tried. It wasn't exactly convincing. Another moment of silence passed before Chris was speaking again, " _Listen Viktor, about what we were talking about at the last crime scene. About the victims?_ "

" _Yeah?_ "

" _I've been doing some research and I think you should go through some of these files. They might prove to be… enlightening._ "

Yuuri frowned as he listened to them, trying to understand what Chris was talking about. He couldn't know. There was no way for Yuuri to decipher the conversation. He simply made a mental note to ask Chris when they got back to base.

" _What is it?_ "

Looking over his shoulder, Yuuri saw Sara and Leo making their way to his side, ready to leave. They just had to find a way out. Moving closer to the door, Yuuri gently knocked twice against the wood finish, signalling for Chris. They had to get out. They had to leave now before things got too dangerous. He wasn't even sure how long the rest of the people in the precinct would be knocked out for.

" _Just look into it. It's important_ ," Another pause came from the other side of the door before Yuuri heard Chris speak again, his words causing his heart to sink, " _I'm afraid this is goodbye, old friend."_

There was a sound on the other side of the door, but Yuuri wasn't sure what it was. Before he knew what was happening, Chris had opened the door and pulled them out, "Go!"

They didn't waste any time, running down the hallway. They had to get out. It was now or never. Viktor was the only one there who could stop them. Looking back, Yuuri could see Viktor chasing after them, gun in hand, and that fear in the back of his mind came back. He had to stop him. Yuuri couldn't let Viktor hurt any of them. As he ran with the others, Yuuri aimed his gun at Viktor, his hand shaking. This man was important. He couldn't deny it. Viktor was the first good thing to come into his life since all this mess had begun, someone who made him happy, who helped him forget all of the pain he'd been put through. He couldn't do it. He couldn't hurt Viktor.

Instead, Yuuri shot at the ground in front of him, causing Viktor to stop in his tracks. Maybe he could hold him off without hurting him. That way no one would have to go through any pain. Viktor wasn't the bad guy here. Yuuri was certain of it. As Viktor held up his gun, Yuuri shot at the floor in front of him again, but it didn't seem to phase him, a single shot ringing out from Viktor's gun.

It was a sudden pain, so surprising, but so sharp as it sliced through his skin, causing Yuuri to drop his gun and cry out in agony as the bullet pierced through his arm. He hesitated, reaching for his gun, but Chris grabbed his good arm, tugging him forward, "Leave it, we have to move!"

Tears stung at Yuuri's eyes as they made it outside, being dragged towards a nearby car. It all felt like a blur as he was hauled into the vehicle, the sound of tires screeching against asphalt as they rushed to make their escape.

OoOoO

"Leo!" Guang Hong was first to welcome them back to the base, though it was really more for Leo's benefit than anyone else. They could only watch as Guang Hong threw himself at Leo, his arms wrapped firmly around his neck as he pressed their lips together, tears in his eyes. Leo looked shocked, but didn't pull away, resting his hands on Guang Hong's waist. It never really occurred to Yuuri; how important Leo really was to Guang Hong. Not until that moment, seeing how emotional he was.

Leo chuckled as he pulled away, resting their heads together, "If I'd known it'd just take getting caught to get you to kiss me, I'd have done it a long time ago."

"Don't say that!" Guang Hong slapped Leo's arm, though there didn't seem to be much force behind it. Resting his head against Leo's shoulder, he spoke softly, "I thought they were going to kill you…"

Leo held him closer, smiling to himself, "Can't get rid of me that easily. Besides, Yuuri's the one who took a bullet for me."

Looking up from Leo, Guang Hong's eyes went wide. He rushed over to Yuuri, touching his arm tentatively, "We… we need to get Mila. She can patch you up."

Yuuri smiled fondly, happy to see he had made friends who cared so much for each other. At least he knew he was in safe hands.

"And Yuuri?"

"Yeah?"

Guang Hong wrapped his arms around Yuuri's waist, pulling him into a hug, "Thank you. For keeping your promise."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Notes:** Slightly on the shorter side, but you know, I think it's worth it ;)

* * *

"I swear you're the most accident-prone person I've ever met," Mila muttered to herself as she carefully pulled the fabric away from Yuuri's arm.

The feeling of the air hitting the wound on his forearm elicited a hiss of complaint from Yuuri, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist against the pain, "It didn't look like an accident."

Yuuri had played the moment over in his mind a thousand times. Viktor Nikiforov had always been harmless to him, someone who wouldn't hurt a fly. And yet there he was, gun in hand, shooting him. It shouldn't have been surprising. Viktor was just trying to do his job, but it still felt strange to see him like that, to know that there was a side of Viktor like that. Had it always been there? Did they push him into it? Was he more aware of what was happening behind the scenes than they thought he was? So many questions and no way to get the answers he was looking for.

"Yeah, well if it makes you feel any better, he knew he was shooting to injure, not kill," Mila carefully turned over Yuuri's arm, inspecting the wound.

"You think so?"

"I know so," Mila smiled reassuringly, letting go of Yuuri's arm and turning to her equipment, pulling out the things she would need to dress the wound, "I know Detective Nikiforov. He's a decent shot. Besides, he's a nice guy. He'd never kill anyone."

Yuuri looked down at his feet, sighing sadly, "Not like me…"

"That's not what I meant. You're not a murderer, Yuuri," Mila sat in front of him, an alcohol swab in hand and gently dabbed the wound. The reaction was immediate, Yuuri's breath caught, the stinging sensation feeling like his whole arm was on fire. His body tensed, trying to fight back the pain as he slowly let out a shaky breath, "Sorry," Mila smiled sadly.

"O-Of course I'm a murderer," Yuuri watched the swab as she cleaned at his arm, biting his lip, "That's what we do."

"No. You're not," Mila shifted herself closer, looking into Yuuri's eyes, "You're a soldier. This is a war. You don't kill because you want to, you kill because you have to. There's a difference."

Yuuri looked away, tears in his eyes as he spoke softly, "Do you think things will ever go back to the way they used to be?"

"Things will never be exactly like they were," Mila admitted, "But I think that soon, we'll get through this and we won't have to hurt anymore people. We'll be able to live our lives like before. And maybe we'll be scarred from all this, but it'll be worth it for all the people we've helped."

Yuuri wanted to believe it, wanted to believe that things could be like they used to be, that he could dance again one day. But he couldn't bend quite like he used to, the wounds in his leg still twinging whenever he tries moves he used to find so easy. He'd never have his best friend at his side again. He'd never be the innocent Yuuri who had come to the Capitol hoping to make his family proud. But maybe Mila was right. Maybe the sacrifices were worth it. He'd never believe Phichit was a worthy sacrifice, but he couldn't let his death be for nothing.

Mila tugged gently on Yuuri's arm, pulling him closer. He whined softly, the pain shooting up his arm as he was jolted forward, "You're lucky. The bullet went straight through, so I won't have to go digging around in your arm to find it."

"Lucky me…"

OoOoO

Viktor stared at the files sitting on his coffee table, frowning. They were the last thing Chris had given him before he ran, before Viktor was forced to come to terms with the fact that even his best friend couldn't be trusted. After ensuring everyone in the precinct was alright, Viktor had taken the discarded gun and sent it in for testing. He'd asked for a sample of the blood that had dripped from one of the assailant's to be tested against every blood sample they'd gotten from all the crime scenes. Viktor couldn't let this be a losing battle. And yet, as people prepared wanted posters with his best friend's face plastered onto them, Viktor didn't feel like any answer would be enough to make this worth it.

Chris' words kept running through his mind, telling him that he needed to look into the victims, into why they were chosen, but he didn't know now. As much as he wanted to believe in his friend, he was the enemy now. And Viktor just didn't know whether he was supposed to trust him. Maybe this was all a ploy, an attempt to throw him off their scent. If he was so distracted by who the victims were, he'd lose track of finding them. He needed to remain focused. And yet, as he stared at the file that Chris had given him, his curiosity was getting the better of him. What did he want Viktor to know? Would it help? It couldn't hurt, could it?

Sighing softly, Viktor reached out for the file, taking it and flipping it open as he laid back on the couch, Makkachin jumping up and settling in his lap. There was no point hiding from it. He knew he didn't have any leads. He didn't know if the gun or the blood would go anywhere. This was his only chance to get some answers. All Viktor could do was put his faith in his best friend.

At first, it was information he'd seen before. Almost. Instead of the people being listed as 'Victims,' the file had them listed as 'Culprit'. Viktor frowned, scanning down the file. It felt like his heart had stop, his whole body feeling cold as he read through the file. One after another, each murder victim was being listed for their crimes against the citizens. Human trafficking, slavery, forced fighting rings, and even murder. Viktor's grip on the papers tightened as he read through it all. It didn't just list what they'd done. It listed all the victims of their crimes. Viktor knew a lot of them wouldn't be alive to tell the tale, if any at all, but his stomach churned as he thought about the possibility of it being true, of this really happening under his nose all this time. Why were they hiding it? Why didn't anyone want him to know? Leo's words haunted him, a painful reminder that something sinister was happening below the surface.

 _We're not the bad guys. You are._

OoOoO

Yuuri gently shifted his arm back and forth as he walked down the hallway, trying to get used to the bandaging Mila had left him with. She hadn't put many layers on him, attempting to make it as comfortable as possible. She'd assured him that it would heal in a week or so, and that there might be a scar left behind. Just what Yuuri needed; another scar to add to his collection. Still, at least he wasn't dead. Yuuri knew he had to stay alive. Phichit had sacrificed himself, after all. Living for him was all he really had.

There were still so many questions left unanswered after the mission to save Leo. He didn't know what Chris had given Viktor, didn't know what he was talking about. He had no way of knowing what went on between them while they were at the police station. He could only guess. But now, he wanted to know. He wanted things to make sense. After all, whatever he gave to Viktor could've been important, it could've been enough to hurt them, to help Viktor to find them. It didn't make any sense, though. Why would Chris risk himself like that? To get away with it? Was he working undercover all along? No, that didn't seem right. And yet, Yuuri really didn't have any reason to believe him one way or another. It was nothing but hope and blind faith.

He wasn't sure how to approach the topic, but he wanted to know, and if it was a file, he knew exactly who Chris would've gotten it from. Yuuri knocked gently at the door, not waiting for a response as he stepped inside, "Yuri, I wanted to ask you something."

Looking back, he really should've waited. Yuri was after all, a teenage boy with a lot of pent up aggression. Still, he hadn't expected to walk in on something so… out of character for Yuri. The one screen he'd noticed that was blank the last time he'd been in that room was lit up, a stern face on display. It was a video call of some kind, but Yuuri had never seen the person on the screen before. That really just led to more questions. Why would Yuri be talking to someone who wasn't in the base? His face was on the wanted posters. He couldn't afford to put himself out there like that.

"Get out!" Yuri glared at him, and there was a suddenly very real fear that this small boy could do some serious bodily damage to him if he really wanted to, "I'm busy right now."

"Yura?" The person on the screen seemed confused by the altercation and Yuri quickly turned back to it.

"It's fine, Beka, just an idiot who doesn't know what privacy is," Another pointed glare was sent his way and Yuuri slowly stepped back out of the room, closing the door as he went.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to ask Yuri for some answers. And just as Yuuri was about to give up on his quest for information, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, flinching and jumping back as he was caught off guard. Chris raised an eyebrow, smirking, "You okay? Is he yelling again? Thought you'd be used to that by now."

Yuuri looked down at the floor between them, wringing his fingers together nervously. He really didn't want to go straight to Chris. It would've been nicer to find out the information elsewhere. There was no way for him to know if he would get lies from Chris or not. But it seemed this really was his only option, "I um… I wanted to ask you something."

Chris' smile grew as he wrapped an arm around Yuuri's waist, pulling him down the hallway, "In that case, let's take a walk."

Yuuri's steps were hesitant as he fell into place beside Chris. Yuri was one danger, this seemed like a completely different one. He'd dealt with death, blood, wounds, and scars. But Yuuri had never spent much time around Christophe Giacometti.

"So," Yuuri broke the silence that had grown between them, chewing his lip nervously as he tried to find the right words, "I was just wondering what it was you gave Viktor before we left."

Chris nodded to himself, the smile never fading from his lips, "So you did hear that."

Yuuri wasn't sure if it was something he wasn't supposed to hear. After all, Chris had asked him to stay by the door and listen just in case he was needed. It was impossible not to hear him after instructions like those, "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop or anything, I just thought I should listen in case you needed some help or something."

"I'm not upset with you, Yuuri," Chris reassured him, "I gave him some information about the people we've targeted. It didn't say anything about any of us, I just wanted to help point him in the right direction. Not towards us, but towards the real enemy."

Yuuri frowned as he listened. It did make sense to tell Viktor why they were doing it, like a silent plea for help. If Viktor was on their side, if Viktor didn't see them as his enemy, maybe things would be easier. They wouldn't have to be afraid anymore, they could work on fixing all of this together, "So…you're trying to help Viktor figure out the truth."

"You like him, don't you?" Chris stopped in the middle of the hallway, turning to Yuuri and tilting his head curiously.

"Wh-What? No! I-I barely know him!" Heat rose over Yuuri's cheeks at just the mention of something like that. He'd only spent a little bit of time around Viktor Nikiforov. Admittedly, his heart seemed to speed up when they were together, and Viktor made him smile in ways he hadn't since this mess began. And sure, Viktor made him feel normal in a way he'd missed, but that was it. He was someone who made things feel simple, the kind of friend he needed in times like these.

Chris chuckled, shaking his head, "You know, that's not actually what I meant, but the look on your face is telling me you _really_ like him."

"No…" Yuuri stared at the ground, knowing he wasn't going to be able to get out of this situation. Chris had decided that this was the way it was, and he wasn't going to change his mind. Sighing softly, he looked back up at Chris, "What's your point?"

"He's my best friend. I don't care that this had put a divide between us, he is important to me. Giving him that information puts him in danger, but he might be the only one who can get to whoever's in charge. He may be our only hope," Chris shrugged, his smile no longer meeting his eyes, "I have to put my best friend in harms way for the sake of hope. Kinda sucks, doesn't it? You're the only connection to him I have left, so I'm asking you, Yuuri; please take care of him for me."

Yuuri couldn't find it in himself to look away from Chris, reminded of all the feelings he went through when he lost Phichit, knowing the fear that must have been going through Chris. Viktor wasn't dead yet, but he wasn't safe. And knowing that he couldn't do anything to protect him anymore must've been killing him, "Yeah. No problem."

Chris nodded, patting Yuuri's shoulder and turning to walk away. The last words Yuuri was left with from the blond caused his heart to skip a beat, "For the record, you'd make a cute couple."

OoOoO

Yuuri had been laying in bed, staring at his phone for hours, the conversation with Chris weighing on his mind. He needed to talk to Viktor again. It had been a while, and if he waited too long, things might seem strange. Of course, that wasn't true, but paranoia was a hell of a thing. Besides, he needed to check on him. Viktor had just lost his friend, and Yuuri knew that pain all too well.

Besides, would it really be so selfish to want to hear his voice again?

Vicchan was sleeping soundly on Yuuri's chest as he scrolled through his phone, thumb hovering over the call button as Viktor's name lit up his screen. Just call him, that's what Phichit would say. Stop being so afraid and just call. Yuuri bit his lip, closing his eyes as he let his thumb press gently against the screen, holding the phone to his ear. The dial tone lasted for longer than he expected, but eventually there was an answer on the other end, Yuuri's heart racing as he heard the ever-familiar voice, _"Yuuri? It's nearly two in the morning, what're you doing up?"_

Yuuri froze. He hadn't been keeping track of time, having thought he would've worked up the courage to call a lot sooner, "Oh. I guess I lost track of time. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

 _"You didn't,"_ Viktor reassured, speaking again after a long pause, _"What's got you up so late?"_

"Thinking about you," Yuuri admitted, realising after a moment just how that would sound, "Wait! No, not like that! I-I mean, I heard about Chris. I mean, I saw the posters, and you said you worked with a guy named Chris. So, I was worried about you."

There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the phone, a sound that had become familiar, had become reassuring _, "You were worried about me? How sweet, Yuuri. It's nice to know you care."_

The blush rising on Yuuri's cheeks couldn't be stopped, and he was eternally grateful that Viktor couldn't see him as he gently ran his fingers through Vicchan's fur, "Are you teasing me? After I was nice enough to call?"

 _"Maybe. I guess I'll have to make it up to you,"_ Yuuri could practically hear the smile in Viktor's voice, _"I'm alright, though. Thanks for asking. Just a little lonely, I suppose."_

Yuuri nodded to himself, "I know how it feels, you know? After… after my friend and I split up, I felt all alone. You just have to find someone who helps you feel normal again."

 _"You mean someone like you?"_

The question hung between them, and Yuuri had never been so unsure of how to answer anything in his life. Truthfully, he felt the same; that Viktor was his link to normalcy, that he didn't have to be anything but himself when they were together, and it was a feeling he cherished. Talking to Viktor felt so easy, he didn't need to be anyone but himself, and Viktor seemed to like him just as he was.

Taking a breath, Yuuri spoke softly, staring up at the ceiling, "Do you still want me to teach you how to dance?"

 _"More than anything,"_

The answer had come much faster than Yuuri expected. Maybe Viktor had been thinking about it as much as he had. Smiling to himself, Yuuri let his fingers tangle gently through Vicchan's fur, "What would you like to learn, detective? Waltz? Samba? Tango?"

 _"Hm, tango's the one where you have to stand real close, right?"_

Yuuri bit his lip, trying to stop himself grinning, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had some ulterior motives."

 _"I thought I was the detective,"_ Viktor chuckled, _"Thank you, Yuuri."_

"What for?"

 _"For calling. I really needed to hear your voice."_

"Yeah. I needed to hear yours, too," Yuuri admitted, carefully turning onto his side, pulling Vicchan with him as he did, "Can we just talk for a while?"

 _"What about?"_ The curiosity in Viktor's voice was obvious.

"Anything."


	10. Chapter 10

Things had been relatively quiet since the incident with Leo. They'd been being much more careful about choosing targets and planning out their attacks. They didn't have anyone on the inside anymore, and that meant they had to be so much more cautious. Chris still insisted he would clean up, that it had been his job for so long that no one else could do it as well as he could, but he was in just as much danger as they were now. As it was, Seung-gil had ordered for them to stay low for now, to give it some time. There were still plenty of worthy targets in the city but keeping each other safe had to take priority.

The days had gone by slowly. After spending so much time running around, trying to get used to this new life, it felt strange to have nothing to do. Yuuri was spending all his time sending messages to Viktor or practicing his shooting. Seung-gil had said what Chris had; that Yuuri was now their only link to the detective, but somehow it held a different meaning when he said it. There was an expectation, like Yuuri was supposed to try to get information out of Viktor, but he didn't want to. He didn't want this one normal aspect of his life to be tainted by this chaos. But it already was. He knew deep down that it was, that Viktor was still hunting him, even if he had no idea.

Despite how quiet things had been for them, Viktor had been busy. Every time Yuuri had worked up the courage to ask to see Viktor again, he'd been met with the same response; _I'm sorry, I'm swamped with work right now_. Yuuri tried not to let it get to him. Especially when he had nightly phone calls with the detective who would insist every time that he missed him, that he wanted to see him again. Viktor wouldn't just say something like that. The sincerity in his voice was real, Yuuri knew it. And every day he was told he couldn't see Viktor, Yuuri found himself missing the detective, too.

Most of their calls happened at night. Yuuri told himself that it was because he had to stop Viktor hearing any of the others' voices. Just in case. Truthfully, he wanted to keep Viktor to himself, he wanted this to be his own little sanctuary from the madness he was now forced to live with. Staying up all hours of the night, listening to a beautiful Russian lilt speaking his name, complimenting him, laughing with him, Yuuri felt things he never thought he'd feel. This man was special, that much he knew. And Yuuri wanted to protect him from this insanity. Keeping their moments of self-indulgence to themselves, Yuuri quickly found himself waiting excitedly for those calls, even after Viktor had teased him mercilessly for the one time he'd fallen asleep in the middle of their conversation.

The sound of his phone ringing in the early evening took Yuuri by surprise, but it didn't stop him scrambling for it, hastily answering the call, "Hello?"

 _"Have you eaten yet?"_

That ever-familiar accent caused an involuntary smile, "No. Not yet. Why?"

 _"You should come over. We can have dinner, and you can teach me some dance moves. You promised."_

"I thought you were working."

 _"As the boss, I'm giving myself the night off."_

Yuuri laughed, shaking his head, "You're the boss?"

 _"Well, no,"_ Viktor paused for a moment, _"But I haven't had a break in a long time."_

"You haven't," Yuuri agreed, smiling to himself.

 _"And we've been talking a lot, but I haven't gotten to see you."_

Yuuri chewed his bottom lip, his gaze dropping to the floor, "Are you saying you miss me?"

 _"Are you saying you don't miss me?"_

"What? No! I mean, I do! I-I mean—"

 _"You wound me, Yuuri,"_ Viktor interrupted, a playful lilt to his voice, _"I'm not sure I'll ever recover."_

Yuuri whined softly, "Viktor."

 _"It's your own fault. You make teasing you so much fun,"_ Viktor laughed on the other end of the phone, _"So, dinner tonight. You and me. Please say yes."_

It really didn't seem like a question that needed any thought; the answer was obvious, "I'll see you in an hour."

 _"Great! I'll send you the address."_

OoOoO

The plan was to make his way to Viktor's apartment on his own, but Vicchan wouldn't let Yuuri leave without him. It wasn't so bad, though. Yuuri knew Viktor liked him, and he could always use it as another playdate for Vicchan and Makkachin. He was eternally grateful that Mila had given him a thin bandage for his forearm, making it easier to conceal beneath the fabric of his shirt. The last thing he needed was for Viktor to realise who he was. This was an evening where he could just forget about all that. That was what he hoped for, at least.

Viktor's apartment was right in the middle of the city. In a block of tall buildings, there stood Viktor's, and suddenly Yuuri was feeling very intimidated. He had to remind himself that Viktor was his friend, that they'd been talking to each other almost every day. It didn't matter that he really seemed to be living in a whole different world. He just had to take a step, see Viktor's face, and he'd be reminded that everything was fine. Pressing the button at the door that had Viktor's name beside it, Yuuri was met with a bright and cheerful greeting before being buzzed up.

It felt so strange to walk into this building that he clearly didn't belong in. Yuuri had grown up in a small town. The buildings were never as tall as this one, the modern sheen of everything within was so different. He wasn't used to any of this. As he stepped into the lift with Vicchan at his feet, he was grateful to be alone in the space. He couldn't quite imagine there being people here who would appreciate someone so… ordinary in their building. In fact, Yuuri was sure there could easily be at least one potential target living in this building. The thought was scary, but he did his best to quash it as the door opened and he was met with a stretch of hallways.

Eventually he found Viktor's door. 813. It wasn't the top floor, but it was near it. The nerves were coming back to him as he stood in front of the door, trying to figure out what he should do. He couldn't just stand there. Viktor knew he was on his way up and would be worried if he didn't appear soon. Taking a shaky breath, he reached up, gently knocking at the door. It didn't take long before the door was opening, revealing the man he'd been waiting to see with a bright, heart shaped smile, "Yuuri!"

His hair was a little dishevelled, but he still looked stunning. Yuuri caught himself staring for a moment, his own smile impossible to hide, and why would he ever want to? Viktor made him happy. Really, genuinely happy. Just as he was about to speak, Vicchan yapped excitedly beside him, rushing into the apartment before either of them had a chance to protest. Viktor simply watched the dog rush by him, surprise clearly etched on his face. Yuuri chuckled nervously, "He uh, he wouldn't let me leave without him. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, he's always welcome," Viktor gestured for Yuuri to come inside, "So are you."

Yuuri felt like a teenager all over again; being invited to his crush's house. He wasn't sure what to expect, but it felt so personal to be invading this space, to be allowed there. The apartment was no less fancy than the rest of the building, but it had a homely feel to it. Though the space was vast, there were pictures on display all over, mostly of Makkachin. Yuuri followed Viktor into the apartment, taking his time to look at everything. It was so different from the base he'd been stuck living in, yet so different to the fancy homes of targets. Though it was clear Viktor made a decent paycheck from his job, this wasn't the home of someone who cared about that. This was the home of someone who loved his dog and judging by the pile of paperwork scattered over the coffee table sitting beside the couch, someone who worked a little too hard.

As a dancer, Yuuri had to admire the hardwood floors beneath his feet, knowing how helpful they would be if Viktor really did want this dance lesson. There was plenty of space, too. They wouldn't need to move any furniture around to get the area they needed to dance. Or maybe Viktor had already done that before he arrived, Yuuri couldn't be sure. As Viktor smiled brightly at him, he gestured to the two plates of pasta sitting at the kitchen counter, "Tada! What'cha think?"

Yuuri smirked as he looked between the meal that had been prepared for them and Viktor, "I think… you didn't cook that."

Viktor raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side, "What makes you say that?"

"Your kitchen is pristine," Yuuri gestured to the rest of the kitchen. He was right, there wasn't anything else on the countertop, the sink was empty, and everything was sparkling clean.

Viktor paused for a moment, looking around his kitchen before turning back to Yuuri, shrugging, "I cleaned up, I was expecting company."

Yuuri nodded tentatively, slowly pacing along the countertop stood between them, letting his fingers brush delicately over the marble finish, "Okay, talk me through your cooking process."

That seemed to take Viktor off guard. He stared at Yuuri for a long moment before he finally spoke, "…What?"

Yuuri chuckled, "Talk me through it."

Viktor looked between the plates of food and the rest of the kitchen as if searching for the right answer, "I… boiled the water."

Yuuri nodded, "Okay…"

"And then I put the pasta in..." Viktor shrugged. It seemed like the obvious answer, but he still looked very proud of himself for coming up with it.

Yuuri bit his lip, trying to stop himself grinning, "How long for?"

Once again, Viktor was caught off guard, "What?"

Yuuri slowly made his way back to stand directly in front of Viktor with the countertop between them, "How long did you put the pasta in for?"

Viktor stared into Yuuri's eyes, eventually sighing defeatedly and looking away with a pout, "It's the thought that counts…"

Yuuri laughed, reaching out to brush his fingers against Viktor's hand, "And I appreciate it."

"I thought I was the detective around here," Viktor grumbled, his eyes tracing the way Yuuri's fingers brushed against his skin.

"A much better detective than I am," Yuuri agreed, smiling shyly as he pulled his hand away, "Now, if you really want this dance lesson, we better eat. We're going to need the energy."

Though it definitely wasn't a home cooked meal, it was still good, still better than any of the cooking he'd had from Sara. He'd never tell her that, of course. Maybe it was the company. Yuuri found himself relaxing around Viktor so easily, Vicchan settling at his feet as they ate their meal at the table, falling into an easy conversation. Viktor never kept anything from him. He didn't tell Yuuri about cases because they weren't important, but Viktor was an open book. Whatever questions Yuuri asked about his past, Viktor answered. Yuuri silently wished he could do the same. He tried not to think about it, though, focusing on the feeling of companionship, the feeling of being completely normal.

The meal went by so quickly, Yuuri didn't even realise it was over at first. Not until Viktor was getting to his feet and picking up Yuuri's plate. Yuuri simply watched as he made his way to the kitchen, placing their dirty dishes in the sink. Moving to the centre of the kitchen, Viktor leant over the counter, grinning as he looked over at Yuuri, "So, are you going to show me your moves?"

Viktor had remained determined. He wanted Yuuri to teach him the tango. The closeness wasn't his only excuse, but it was the one that stood out. Viktor also just thought it would be a fun challenge and that everything else sounded too easy or too hard. The tango was apparently a happy medium, though Yuuri wasn't quite so sure. He knew that it could be easy in some respects, but the more elements they added to it, the more difficult it would become. As much fun as it would be to watch Viktor stumble around the room, he wasn't so sure it would be fair to put him through that.

Yuuri hummed softly, tracing a finger in circles over the table top, "That depends. Think you can keep up?"

"Don't know," Viktor admitted, moving across the room and offering Yuuri his hand, "Only one way to find out."

One thing Yuuri really loved about Viktor was how playful he could be. He may have been a detective, someone the others were afraid of, but he was so sweet, and so energetic. It was adorable. Taking his hand, Yuuri got to his feet, gently pulling Viktor to the open space near the centre of the room, "You know I can't go easy on you if you really want to learn."

Viktor nodded enthusiastically, practically bouncing on his feet in excitement, "I don't want you to go easy on me. Teach me, Yuuri. Please."

Yuuri smiled fondly as he watched him, "Alright. But if you want to learn the tango, I think you'll have to be the leader. I'm sure you'd make a good leader," The compliment seemed to brighten Viktor's smile even more and Yuuri smirked, "Besides, the follower has some trickier steps."

Viktor's pout quickly returned, "You don't think I could do it?"

"I'm sure you could, but I think you'd make a better leader." Yuuri reassured, reaching out and gently resting his hands on Viktor's shoulders, "You need to relax, you're too tense right now."

"I just don't want to mess up…" Viktor admitted, though his shoulders visibly dropped as he let his body relax under Yuuri's touch.

"You're more likely to mess up if your muscles are all tense," Yuuri let his hands drop from Viktor's shoulders once he'd seen him begin to relax, spinning himself around to stand beside him, "The tango has an eight-step basic. Small back step, one…side, two…forward step, three, forward step, four," Yuuri slowly went through the steps as he spoke, making sure Viktor was watching his every move, "Now bring your feet together, five…a small step forward, six… side step, seven, and back together, eight," Yuuri turned back to face Viktor, offering him a smile, "Think you can handle that?"

Viktor simply stared at Yuuri for a long moment, clearly uncertain. It was a little worrying, really. If he couldn't get the basic step sequence down, Yuuri knew he wasn't going to be able to teach him anything more complicated. Viktor watched Yuuri closely, "Could you do it again?"

Yuuri raised an eyebrow but didn't hesitate as he slowly moved back through the steps. Maybe it would take Viktor some time. That was alright. For Yuuri, memorising steps had become easy, but eight were a lot to remember. Glancing over at Viktor as he went through them again, he could see him carefully following along. Once Yuuri made it to the eighth step, he looked over at Viktor again, watching him move beside him, and went back through the steps. If he just kept doing it, it would get into his head, Yuuri was sure. That was how it had always worked for him in the past.

After they'd gone through the steps a few more times and Viktor was looking more confident, Yuuri moved to stand in front of him, "Good. Think you can do it while holding a partner?"

The smile on Viktor's face only grew, "I get to hold your hand now?"

Yuuri laughed, rolling his eyes and smiling fondly as he reached out, taking Viktor's left hand with his right, "If that's all you wanted, you didn't have to ask to dance."

"You'd hold my hand anyway?"

Yuuri bit his lip, trying to stop himself blushing as he realised he'd been caught out. Clearing his throat, he reached for Viktor's right hand, pulling him closer, "This arm goes around the middle of my back. Think you can do that?"

"Absolutely," Viktor didn't hesitate as he wrapped his arm around Yuuri's back, holding him close. Yuuri's left arm moved around Viktor's back as well until they were so close, there was barely any space between them.

"You um, you need to shift your weight to the balls of your feet." Yuuri hesitantly did as he said, watching as Viktor did the same and their chests gently pressed together. Looking into Viktor's soft blue eyes, he took a shaky breath, chuckling nervously, "The tango really is a close dance…"

"Are you blushing, Yuuri?" Viktor smirked, gently squeezing his hand.

Yuuri looked away, his eyes moving to their hands as he spoke, "You're the leader. It's all about your hold around my back. You have to guide me. I follow your movements. That doesn't mean pull me around. It just means that you use your hold to guide me around the dancefloor," Hesitantly, he looked back into Viktor's eyes, "You ready?"

It was obvious that Yuuri was trying to change the subject, but Viktor didn't seem to mind. He kept eye contact with Yuuri as he stepped, following the movements he'd been taught by Yuuri just a moment ago. Though they were moving slower than they normally would if there was music playing, Viktor was at least managing to step correctly.

Yuuri smiled, "Getting better. When you step forward, try to step on the outside of my feet."

The small instruction caused Viktor to look away and Yuuri almost regretted it. He missed the way those eyes looked into his own, so full of happiness. But it was worth it to watch Viktor's attempts to carefully step as he was instructed. At first, he wasn't looking too confident in his steps, almost tripping over his own feet. Yuuri bit his lip, trying to stop himself from laughing. Viktor squeezed his hand gently, "You're not allowed to laugh."

Yuuri smirked as he watched him, gently moving as Viktor led him through the steps, "I don't think I ever agreed to that."

"You don't want to be a mean teacher, do you?" They kept moving through the eight steps, Viktor seeming to get the hang of it over time. Thankfully, he was a fast learner. Yuuri had been worried about just how bad it could've been. Maybe Viktor had two left feet. Maybe he was a lost cause. Instead, he found himself in the arms of a natural.

"Okay, time to learn some new steps." Yuuri smirked as Viktor paused in his steps, seeming a little concerned, "Relax, you're doing a lot better than I thought you would."

Viktor grinned his bright, heart melting smile, "Of course I am."

"This one will be easy for you. Go through the steps just like you normally would until we reach the sidestep."

Yuuri watched as Viktor flawlessly went through the steps. It was like he'd been doing it all his life. Back home, Yuuri had seen plenty of people going through the steps, taking weeks to learn even the most basic of steps, but Viktor was a lot faster. It was refreshing, really. It made Yuuri want to teach him so much more, to be able to dance with him all the time.

Once he reached the sidestep, he stopped, "Like that?"

"Just like that," Without thinking, Yuuri leaned closer, their bodies pressed together as he looked into Viktor's eyes, "This is all about you leading. You're going to use your hold on my back to gently turn me. You side step, bring your feet together, and turn me. Then you do it again, going back the other way. Okay?"

He could only watch curiously as Viktor stared at him, trying to figure out what was going through his mind. It seemed to take Viktor a moment to register that Yuuri had finished talking. He let out a breath neither of them realised he had been holding in before Yuuri felt Viktor gently applying pressure to turn him, "Is… that okay?"

Yuuri didn't know how Viktor could be so cute. He was being so careful, his steps so uncertain despite how well he was doing. Yuuri chuckled softly as he swivelled his body under Viktor's lead, stepping with him once he did, "You're doing great, just relax."

"You have to say that."

Yuuri moved with Viktor's lead as they stepped back, "I'm not that nice."

"Oh, I've got a bad boy on my hands," Viktor teased, "Careful, you're admitting that to a cop."

Yuuri laughed, shaking his head, "What are you going to do, arrest me?"

"Maybe."

"What for?" Yuuri couldn't stop smiling even if he wanted to, enjoying the gentle movement as Viktor stepped them back and forth,

He paused to think about it for a moment, "Having an illegally pretty smile?"

Yuuri averted his gaze at the compliment, trying to resist the blush creeping onto his cheeks as he spoke softly, "You'd have to arrest yourself, too."

"We could share a cell." Viktor grinned.

Yuuri didn't know what he'd done to deserve this, how he had managed to find a breathtakingly gorgeous guy in this city who was smart, funny, and sweet. How he ended up dancing in the middle of his apartment, teaching him the tango. These weren't things that happened to Yuuri. But then, his life had never been this way before. Everything felt different.

Viktor had moved them back and forth slowly as they spoke, clearly getting the hang of the simple movement. Without thinking, Yuuri moved into what he'd always been taught; embellishments. They kept things interesting, they added to the dance. His instructor back home had always insisted that if there was time for embellishments, he should add them to the dance, and now was no different. As Viktor shifted Yuuri in his hold, he let his foot gently caress Viktors leg as he lifted it, moving into step just as he normally had. The movement caused Viktor to freeze up, his grip on Yuuri's hand tightening.

Yuuri frowned, "What's wrong?"

"What… what did you just do?" Viktor's voice cracked as he spoke.

"Oh. It's just part of the dance. Sorry, I don't have to do that."

"No!" Viktor quickly moved Yuuri in his hold, "Please, do it as much as you want."

Yuuri chuckled, "Well, if you liked that, you're going to love the next move."

"Well, don't tease me," Viktor brushed the pad of his thumb delicately against Yuuri's hand, "Tell me what you want me to do next."

Yuuri took a shaky breath, "I'll have to talk you through this one. So, um, side step…" As Viktor did what he said, Yuuri followed his lead, "Now turn me the same direction you stepped," It felt so easy, Viktor's touch gentle but commanding, enough to carefully move Yuuri the direction he wanted. Yuuri only hoped Viktor wouldn't trip in the next step, knowing that it would be truly easy for him to fall over if he wasn't careful, "Now as you turn me back the other way, I want you to step your foot between mine."

Viktor's eyes were focused on their feet as he lead Yuuri back in the other direction. Sure enough, his foot came between Yuuri's, and as Yuuri let himself spin gently back in the direction he'd come from, he let his leg wrap around Viktor's. There was silence between them at first. Neither of them moved, though their eyes were locked together. Yuuri couldn't bear the thought of pulling away. Not when Viktor was looking at him like that, like he was the most important person in the world.

Their bodies were pressed so close together, their chests moving in unison with every breath. It was easy to get drunk off Viktor's presence. He was so intoxicating to be around, so warm and inviting. Yuuri had to remind himself that this was a dance lesson, and he really needed to teach Viktor how to get out of the step without falling over, "Once you uh, once you want to move out of the position, you just step onto that foot. Don't try to lead me out of it, of you'll end up dipping me." He chuckled nervously.

Viktor didn't move at first, still watching Yuuri closely, and more than ever, he wished he knew what was going through the detective's mind. But just as he was about to ask, Viktor moved. He didn't listen to the instructions, though. Instead, Viktor tried to lead Yuuri, their legs still linked as Yuuri moved back.

He couldn't help the small giggle that escaped him as he held onto Viktor, "No, I said don't lead!"

"But I'm the leader," Viktor smirked. He didn't move to let Yuuri back up, simply holding him in place, "You said I'd make a good leader."

"And you do, now let me up."

Yuuri was smiling despite himself. He should've been annoyed that Viktor had gotten it wrong, should've been frustrated that he'd clearly messed it up on purpose, but he wasn't. How could he be when Viktor was looking at him like that. As Viktor gently pulled him back to his feet, their chests pressed together once more, and Viktor took the chance, gently catching Yuuri's lips in a kiss. Yuuri froze, his breath catching in his throat as the moment dawned on him.

There he was, in the middle of Detective Viktor Nikiforov's apartment, dancing, being kissed. And he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.


End file.
